Contrivance
by MusicChiller27
Summary: A/U - Cheria Ferguson is a senior in high school; when her car breaks down she takes it to the family's mechanic Jonathan Good, who takes a chance and offers her a desk job. Even though she is underage, sparks start to fly between the almost 18-year-old the 30-year-old mechanic. When Cheria's mother Martha comes to town for a visit she turns Cheria and Jon's world upside down.
1. Chapter 1

****_Warning: This story will contain underage sexuality. If you don't approve, don't read. If you don't care and want to read anyway, reviews are welcome and I use flames to keep my ass warm. Happy reading!_****

**Contrivance**

Chapter 1

"Cheria, the transmission in your car needs to be rebuilt. I'm sorry."

This was the last thing she needed to happen. Her Chevy Malibu had gotten her from point A to B for the past year and a half, now suddenly it wanted to take a crap? Uncle Roy was the best mechanic in the city of Tampa, Florida, so if he couldn't fix it, in her eyes, nobody could. He ran his shop from out of his home, where she currently resided, and people from all over helped pay the bills. They trusted Roy; he used to have his own shop until the building he'd had his business in caved from the roof during a frightful storm. Out of power for days and not able to go anywhere was dreadful. Cheria would never forget that storm as long as she lived, especially since she'd been trapped in school during sophomore year. Luckily, she wasn't driving at the time because all of the cars in the high school parking lot had been demolished.

A frown marred her flawless tanned face. "What do you suggest, Uncle Roy?"

Roy Ferguson chewed his tobacco thoughtfully while surveying the damaged transmission and heaved a sigh, wiping his hands off on a towel. "I hate doing it, but I know a guy who could fix it and he won't charge an arm and a leg." He couldn't handle the heartbroken expression on his niece's face and had to help her, thinking of her as his own daughter.

"Uncle, I can't ask you…"

"You're not." He cut her off gruffly, pulling out a card from his dirty back jean pocket and handed it over. "His number is on the back. If anyone can salvage the transmission, it's him. His name is Jon." Slamming the hood down on the car, Roy leaned against it while cracking open a bottled water and downed half of it. "Get over there now and see if you can have it looked at. Call me with the estimate."

All Cheria could do was nod and slid behind the wheel of her vehicle, firing it up before pulling out of her Uncle Roy's garage. It was a bright sunny day in Tampa, Florida and she'd just gotten off school to hopefully find out good news regarding her car. Uncle Roy had been a mechanic for a long time, but never specialized in transmissions, always sticking to the basics. Now she had to rely on a man named Jon to hopefully fix her car.

Being 17 wasn't supposed to be this hard, not yet, right?

Jonathan Good was an adequate mechanic and a diamond in the rough, as far as he was concerned. He was at the top of his profession, running his own business and didn't charge a hand, leg and blowjob unlike some places. Given that he also tended to occasionally have a bleeding heart for lower class families or single moms, sometimes Jon had a hard time keeping his books floating above water. Somehow, someway, he tended to pull through every month and wasn't sure if it was his incredibly dumb luck or something else. Probably his charm, if he had to guess. He was definitely charming.

Stepping out of the bay into the sunlight, Jon reached down into the front pocket of his black workpants -black hid stains and grease- to pull out a relatively clean shop rag, wiping sweat off his face. Completely oblivious to the tiny smear of black oil he just smudged against his forehead. He wore a poorly white, now stained, beater that was soaked in sweat. Florida heat was a damp warmth, but man did he love it. His pale blue eyes narrowed when he heard, rather than seen, a vehicle coming, cocking his head to the side. Listening, Jon finally watched the vehicle slowing down. They were coming here and he could bet from both the sound and that smell, something was wrong with the transmission. He was really hoping it was bearings.

It was a miracle she'd managed to drive this hunk of junk across town without it falling apart on her. Cheria shook her head, wondering why her Uncle even bothered trying to fix it when it would probably be cheaper and easier on both of their bank accounts to simply buy another used vehicle. Be that as it may, she did what her Uncle commanded since he'd taken care of her all her life alongside Aunt Betty. They were her pride and joy, thinking of them as her parents more than Uncle and Aunt. The one time she tried calling them Mom and Dad, Betty corrected her with a soft smile and asked her not to do it. Cheria listened, not making the mistake again, even though it felt weird not referring them as her parents.

"Piece of shit." She muttered under her breath, stepping out of the vehicle and shut the door, pushing black shades on top of her head to reveal stunning emerald green eyes.

Her long dyed silver hair –Cheria went for a white blonde at first, but the dye job came out a splendid silver she fell in love with sophomore year and she'd kept it ever since- braided over both shoulders, parted to perfection. Her pale skin glowed in the white skirt she wore along with a white tank top, white sandals on her feet. Her nails on both fingers and toes were French manicured, getting them done once a month with Aunt Betty. Turning around, Cheria headed inside the building and waited at the tall desk for someone to assist her.

"Hold on!" A short woman with blonde hair –it was pulled back into the slovenliest bun imaginable and she had a sunburn that was more than likely permanent or a very bad experience with a tanning bed- came rushing into the office. "Sorry." She flashed the younger woman a smile and got behind the desk. "What can I help you with?"

"You could start by getting the hell out, Pearl. You don't even work here." For the life of him, Jon would never understand why this insane woman insisted on bugging the hell out of him. If he had to remind his other employees one more time that she was not allowed on the premises, let alone out in his garage, he was going to use a wrench to beat them to death. "Leave." He ordered, eyes narrowing as he watched her slowly back away towards the front door.

"Jonny, I-"

"Do the words _restraining order _mean anything to you?" Jon pinched the bridge of his nose and waited until he heard the bells ringing, indicating the door had opened and she was gone. He cracked open one eye and looked around, finally focusing on... the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid his gaze on.

This wasn't a good time it looked like, Cheria surmised, feeling eyes on her and looked up from her cell phone, feeling her breath hitch in her throat. The man was well over 6 feet tall, muscular, tanned and incredibly handsome. He had boyish looks, but was definitely all man too. Cheria swallowed hard when he came toward her, thankful she was already sitting down or else her knees would've buckled. The closer he came, she quickly noticed the intensity in his pale blue orbs and his head of curly auburn blonde hair was mostly hidden under a white and black bandana. The sweat stains on his beater didn't make her wrinkle her nose nor did the black streak of oil across his forehead. He had slight scruff outlining his jaw, but it wasn't a full-on beard and made him even more attractive.

"H-Hi…" Cheria stammered, pulling the card out and handed it over to the pale blue eyed enchanter with a soft shy smile. "My Uncle referred me to you for my car." That sounded incredibly lame. "I'm looking for a Jon Good? Is he here right now?"

Jon took the card, letting his fingers brush against hers and then looked down. He had given this to Roy quite some time ago. Roy was good people, he figured, as well as people got around this part of Tampa anyway. Tampa had several sides. It had the Hispanic side that tended to get rowdy. It had the rich people upper areas and a lot of low class ghetto sections as well, which he personally loved.

"You're Roy's niece?" He asked in a raspy voice, feeling the left side of his mouth curve up into a half smile. Jon had heard a tidbit or two, nothing major, but apparently Roy had been hiding her because she was a stunner. "I'm Jon." He then added after she nodded, extending his hand and took hers when it was hesitantly offered.

Pretty certain he just felt sparks, glad his hair was under a rag or else it probably would have straightened for a moment or two. The name fit him perfectly and Cheria felt butterflies erupt in her stomach fluttering all over. What was wrong with her? Yes, she was a virgin and hadn't dated much, keeping to herself even though she was on the cheerleading squad. Her friends wondered why she didn't go out partying like they did or have sex. Cheria wasn't into any of it, against peer pressure and focused on her studies so she could end up getting into a decent college after graduation. She had her future to think about. Currently, her small hand was swallowed by this large man's and the amount of heat coursing through her body made the temperature in the room upsurge steeply.

"It's nice to meet you, Jon." Cheria replied in a soft voice, not releasing his hand while their eyes remained locked. "I'm Cheria."

Personally, Jon was curious how Roy and Betty managed to keep this girl under wraps. "Cheria..."

Her name rolled off his tongue, vaguely recalling seeing her a handful of times when she was a baby and he was still fairly young, definitely not interested in infants. His head was doing the mental math and he stopped that quickly, not wanting to take a stab at her age or know it at all. She was probably too young for him, but good lord...Reluctantly, he let go of her hand clearing his throat.

"What's wrong with your ride?"

An involuntary shiver rushed through her the moment her name came out of this man's mouth and felt his hand leave hers, jolting her back to reality. "My Uncle thinks it's the transmission. He said you were the best and if anyone could fix it, you can." She recalled the praise her Uncle Roy gave this man and wondered if he was just full of hot air or actually knew what he was doing. Cheria had to trust her Uncle's judgment, however, fingering the keys nervously. "Would you have time to look at it today or are you too busy? I can bring it back tomorrow after school, if you want…"

"It's the transmission." Jon said instantly, reaching out to extend his hand, palm side up and crooked his fingers. He smiled crookedly as she deposited her keys in his palm, fisting them. "I heard you come in. I just finished up a client's car so I have time. You can wait in here," With the central air, which felt fantastic. "If you want, or you could come out in the garage."

His eyes slowly raked over her, noting the white skirt she wore. It would not remain white in this place for too long. Then, he took in those legs that went on a day and forever...Jon absentmindedly brushed the corner of his mouth with his knuckle, clearing his throat. She had no business going out into the garage, not having a clue about cars. That didn't stop Cheria from taking Jon's invitation, though. The central air did feel amazing, but she wanted to be near this man for some reason she couldn't fathom. The attraction was magnetic and she watched him raise her car up so he could look under it without the vehicle crushing him.

Cheria heard classic rock blasting from the other side of the garage and noticed another tall monstrous man headed their way. He had long raven tresses pulled back in a low tail at the nape of his neck, a black beater and pants similar to Jon's being his attire. Normally, customers were not allowed in the back to watch them work on their vehicles. This was his friend's business though and he knew the reason why Jon had let the silver haired beauty out here as soon as he laid eyes on her. His grey eyes moved to Jon and he squatted, rubbing his hands together in front of him with a grease towel.

"Need some help, bro?" He offered, not wanting Jon to overwork himself since the man didn't sleep much these days. Why, he had no idea.

"Sure man; if this thing falls, you catch it."

"What're we looking at?"

Jon blinked, realizing what the hell he was doing and gestured Joe out of the way. "One second, Cher."

He made sure she was out of the way before lowering the Chevy Malibu -he had seen better versions than this one, definitely a beater or 'first car' model if he had ever saw one- back down. Why he had raised it up on the hoist was beyond him. He opened the driver door and bent down to pop the hood, grinning sheepishly when Joe shot him a look.

"Transmission, man."

Jonny boy was distracted and Joe had to keep himself from snorting.

"N-No problem." Cheria felt incredibly awkward standing out here with another man helping Jon look at her vehicle and decided it was best to head back inside in the central air.

Joe waited until the door closed before popping Jon none too gently in the back of the head. "What the hell is wrong with you, man? Do you have any idea who that is?" He also knew Roy Ferguson – all of Tampa did since he helped coach several sports in the area and had the second best running mechanic shop, out of his own home no less. Jon was first, simply because he did everything while Roy stuck to the basics. "That's Roy Ferguson's niece and she's underage. So whatever ideas you got going on in that head of yours, nix them now."

"Man, you need to get your Samoan ass in that office, take her information for me and then come let me know when she's legal." Jon was only half-joking, the other half entirely serious because, if he had to wait a few months, he could. If Cheria was basically a year shy of being nothing less than a jail sentence, he would consider risking it.

"That's... not even right, bro, on so many levels."

"This thing is shot all to hell."

"Chevy would just charge her an arm and leg for one of their factory rebuilds..." Joe stroked his chin, eyeballing Jon and knew what was going to happen. "I'll go see if we got anything in the back..." They were going to rebuild this piece of trash transmission.

Jon went inside, whistling.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Y-You are?"

Cheria felt her eyes widen while Jon explained in simple terms what was wrong with her transmission and how they were going to fix it. She felt her stomach tighten at the smile broadening on his face and realized she too had a grin of her own, blushing a little. Now came the part where she'd probably end up tossing her cookies or fainting and Cheria swallowed hard, not wanting to make a fool of herself in front of this gorgeous man.

"Thank you, Jon. This means a great deal to me and my Uncle Roy. You're a lifesaver. How much will it cost altogether?"

Jon had no idea who was paying for this, her or Roy. If it were her, he really hoped she was legal with a job. He did the math, finally writing down a base estimate. Jon was pretty certain this was around the right amount; it depended on if they had something to work with or would have to order out for extra parts. When Cheria's face paled slightly, he reached out to gently cup her chin, making her look at him. She had a look he had seen a lot in his days, one of alarm and trepidation.

"Hey, we do payment arrangements here." He reassured her, a practice Joe usually reamed him for because it tended to be stupid business. Love his friend, but the man was too practical.

Cheria worked at the local flower shop part-time after school, but she'd gotten the day off today because of her car trouble. Mrs. O'Heary understood and assured her the job wasn't going anywhere. She was best friends with Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy, so that helped get her foot in the door too since she was currently a senior in high school. Graduation was in a few months and Prom around the corner, but first she had to figure out how to help Uncle Roy pay for her vehicle. It wasn't right for him to fork over this amount of money when it was her vehicle, even if his name was still on it. The payment arrangement idea made the pallor in her cheeks diminish and roses bloomed, emerald once again locked on pale blue.

"Thank you for your help. We really appreciate it." Stepping back reluctantly, Cheria pulled her cell phone out and began dialing her Uncle's number. "Before you start, let me call and make sure Uncle Roy wants this done first."

Nodding, Jon occupied himself behind the desk. He hated clerical work, but the last secretary they had tried robbing them blind and that hadn't gone over well with Jon. Crazy Pearl liked to sneak in on occasion and play assistant, but the woman didn't know how to operate a computer. Even if she did, Jon wasn't inclined to let crazier walk through the door. Eventually, they'd get around to hiring a secretary... someday. He eyeballed her info, keying it into the new account program, taking note of her birthdate and did the math, beginning to grin. Barely legal had just taken on a whole new meaning.

"Well hellfire, that's cheaper than other places around town!" Uncle Roy crowed into the phone happily, wondering why Jon went so cheap when it came to rebuilding a transmission of all things. "You sure that's the right amount, sweetheart?"

"Yes Uncle Roy, I wouldn't lie to you about it." Cheria muttered, still feeling horrible about him paying for her vehicle. "I'll pay you back…"

"Nope, you're savin' your money to go to college and make somethin' of yourself. Remember, we had this talk before, Cheri." He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a swig of water, in the mood for an ice cold beer when he finished working. "Tell Jon boy to go ahead with it and I'll be callin' him in a few days to check on the progress."

"But…"

"Cheria, no buts, sweetheart. Do what I tell ya and call a cab since you won't have your car right now."

The line went dead and Cheria pressed the 'end call' button on her Android, slowly turning around to face the man who would make her car brand new again, or close to it. "He said go for it and he'll be calling in a few days to check on things." She relayed, already googling the cab service in Tampa and sighed when she couldn't find it.

Great, looked like she was walking home at this rate.

Jon was silent as he finished up on the computer, having overheard enough of her conversation to know Roy was footing the bill and Cheria was not happy about it. He could respect that. People wanted to pay their own way and whatnot. Jon knew better than a lot of people how that went; he still felt like he was paying off Roy and his lovely wife for pulling him from his own bad situation. Of course, he fully expected Roy to be in touch and hassle him over the low cost he was charging. He might have Joe take that call.

"Everything set, Cher?" He asked when she finally looked up from her phone, wondering what the hell she was doing.

For some reason, calling her 'Cher' sent a warm sensation throughout her body and Cheria found herself enjoying the sound of it from Jon. Anybody else she would've corrected them, but not him. "Yes, unless you needed something else from me?" She watched him shake his head and cracked a small smile, pulling her purse strap over her shoulder to head out the door. "Thanks again for everything, Jon. Have a nice day."

Cheria wasn't in the mood to deal with her cell phone and decided walking was the best option, heading down the sidewalk away from the shop. Unbeknownst to Cheria, Cher was a Creole-French word for darling, sweetheart or honey; it just depended on the circumstances it was used in. Jon had heard her name and using Cher just seemed to fit. Realizing she was probably going to walk home, Jon wondered if she was out of her mind. Banging body, dim in the smarts; he was praying that was not the case as he took after her. Catching up was easy; she hadn't gotten far and Jon caught her by the hand, turning Cheria to face him.

"It's late afternoon, please tell me you are not about to walk this neighborhood?" Roy would kill him.

It wasn't the brightest idea, she admitted, but didn't know what to do since Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty were still at work; all of her friends busy. "I don't really have a choice right now. No car, and I can't get a hold of the cab service." Cheria didn't pull her hand out of his, the warmth too inviting and it didn't bother her his hands were dirty. If anything, it turned her on and his smell was absolutely inebriating. "I'll be okay. I've walked home from school before…" Even though it was on the other side of the city and her house was only blocks away from the high school.

"Yeah from school, and I'll bet money that it's not in this shitty of a neighborhood. Look Cher, there's good people here, but a lot more of the bad type." Jon began leading her back inside. "Just have a seat and I'll find you a ride." Or he'd take her home personally.

"Had to order some parts. You need to go pick them up." Joe said the moment they were back inside, cocking an eyebrow and staring pointedly at their joined hands.

Perfect excuse to use to give her a ride, Jon thought. "I'll take you."

"No, I can't ask you to do that…" He was already doing so much for her and Uncle Roy.

"What's going on?" Joe was almost afraid to ask, trying not to notice the way Jon had laced his fingers with the underage girl. Jon informed him about her trying to walk home and Joe immediately gave her a disapproving look. "Not a wise choice in this part of the city, girl."

"I know." What else was she supposed to do though? "I tried getting a hold of the cab company…"

"They're not safe either. Go with Jon; you'll make it home unscathed." Then his grey eyes landed on his friend and boss. "Hurry back, we got a lot of work to do before calling it a night." Then he headed out to start pulling apart the transmission in the girl's vehicle.

"Let me grab my keys."

Jon always carried his wallet in his back pocket, with a chain attached to his belt loops, not about to let anyone rob him. He had been pickpocketed before; he wore the chain thing now and dealt with the elderly calling him a punk. Releasing Cheria's hand, instantly missing the warmth, Jon had definitely noticed how soft her hands were unlike his. He glanced down at his, noting they were not in the cleanest of conditions and sighed, stepping into the bathroom long enough to clean them as best he could. Some things wouldn't wash off until he poured half a gallon of orange soap on them.

"Ready?"

"Sure."

Cheria followed him out of the shop to his vehicle, a truck – Ford F150 to be exact – and stepped up into the passenger seat. It was much nicer than her car and comfortable, not surprised when Jon immediately cranked the air conditioner on high. She made sure to pull her skirt down enough so it didn't ride up her thighs, crossing her ankles. Being in an enclosed space with this gorgeous man wasn't the best idea either considering he gave her butterflies. Cheria briefly wondered what his lips would feel like against hers and immediately dismissed the thought, shaking herself mentally. No! She was definitely out of his league and still a kid compared to him. There's no way he'd want anything to do with her past making money to fix her car.

The truck was fairly large, all things considered. So much space between them. It was a little unnerving for Jon, this instant and almost overwhelming attraction he felt for Cheria. There was something here, a chemistry, and he was tempted to cuss Roy out for hiding her away like this. Then again... underage. He slid a pair of shades over his eyes, trying not to glance over at those long legs that were so primly crossed at the ankle.

"You live with your Uncle then?" Jon asked, the question coming out gruffer then intended, planning on a detour if she did. Parts first, drop her off second; he was buying time.

"Yes, my Aunt Betty too." She had no idea Jon had a history with her Aunt and Uncle, smiling softly at the thought of them. "They adopted me when I was a baby and raised me here in Florida. My Uncle is stubborn and bullheaded, but I love him nevertheless."

Cheria already had a plan on how to pay her Uncle back for the transmission, though she'd have to be sneaky about it. Aunt Betty wouldn't condone her paying them back either, but she knew they had bills to pay to keep a roof over her head and food in her mouth every day. She owed them everything good life tossed her way and, since Cheria had a job at the flower shop, it was the perfect way to repay the debt.

"I actually had an idea I wanted to run by you, but it would involve keeping a secret from my Uncle Roy. Are you willing to do that?"

She had no idea that he was connected to Roy and Betty other than he was just another grease monkey. That was interesting, Jon supposed, there was no good reason for Roy or Betty to tell her about him - how they had literally saved his life. They were good humble people; it'd probably feel like they were bragging or something and they were just too modest for that.

"Depends on what it is, Cher." He said finally, flashing her a slight smile. "Nothing illegal, right?" Unless it involved him, her and the back of the truck, then he'd be compliant.

"No, nothing that would get you in trouble unless Uncle Roy found out about it."

For some reason, Cheria didn't feel awkward and uncomfortable around this man, not understanding it. She chuckled, not realizing the sound made something jump below the belt in Jon's pants and began playing with her braid. It was something she did whenever she was nervous, no matter what kind of style her hair was in that day.

"I want to pay for the transmission rebuild. I know it's a lot of money, but I do have a job and I can set up a payment arrangement with you." She'd be 18 in mere months, so hopefully Jon would give her a pass on the age detail. "I just feel like this is my responsibility and I know my Uncle and Aunt are struggling enough as it is. Would you consider doing that for me?"

It was a good thing they were at a stop or else Jon would have crashed into the car ahead of him, especially when Cheria began playing with her silver braided hair. "Roy wants to pay for it." He gathered as much earlier, but having her confirm it didn't surprise him. That's the type of man Roy was. "Sure. Just how am I supposed to convince him to not pay me though?" Roy would come into the shop and try making the payments, or pay it back in full. "Your Uncle makes it damn hard to say no. You must get that from him."

"Sorry." Cheria finally turned to look at him with pleading emerald eyes, knowing he could help her if he really wanted to with this. "You could tell him it's on the house, though I'm sure he wouldn't believe you. Or when he pays you, simply rip the check up. I know he'll pay you with a check." Uncle Roy didn't pay attention much to the bank account as much as Aunt Betty, so there was a chance she'd be able to get this done without them finding out. "Just tell me how much to pay you every month and I'll take care of the rest. You won't have to get your hands dirty with it."

Jon nodded, knowing if worse came to worse, it would be Betty he was dealing with and she'd be apt to be a part of this little secret. She'd get Cheria paying it back, though he also figured they were probably wanting their niece to save up for school or something. Cheria seemed like the type of girl – woman – who wanted to go to college.

"I'll do it. You're a student still, right? Senior?" When she nodded, he felt a twinge in his gut. Jon had already known, but having it confirmed disappointed him greatly. "So you're probably working part-time. Minimum wage?" Whatever he charged her was going to be based on that. It might mean extended payment plan, but it would get paid, he was sure of it.

"Yes, unfortunately. I work at the flower shop for Mr. and Mrs. O'Heary, in case you were wondering." Why she offered that knowledge was beyond her, but Cheria kept talking. "I'm graduating in a few months and they're hell bent on trying to get me to save up for college, which I still don't know if I want to attend yet." In all honesty, she thought college wasn't in the cards for her, but Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty wanted her to have the best life possible. "If only I could find something that paid a little more…who would want to hire a 17 year old girl though, ya know?" Heaving a sigh, Cheria hoped she could make whatever payments Jon set her up with.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was fate.

Jon knew it.

He had thought about meeting her being fate earlier, when he felt sparks, and now... now he _knew_. Jon needed a secretary; she needed a better paying job. Granted, Cheria was still a minor and a student, so she wouldn't be able to work full-time, but that was better than nothing _and_ he would get the added bonus of her presence. It truly was a win-win for him.

"Got any computer skills?" He asked after a moment, making the turn, spotting the auto parts store just up the street. "Clerical work? Because I am in desperate need of someone to run my office."

There was no way Cheria would rip the company off unlike his last secretary. Promising Joe to do a background check would have to be broken because he wouldn't put Roy's niece through that. She was completely trustworthy; Jon felt in his bones or maybe that was just his erection talking to him. Either way, it was his company and if he sensed something wrong about her, then a background check would be necessary. Besides, he was horrid at paperwork and Joe point blank refused to do anything on the computer other than solitaire. Jon managed the financial, business taxes and all that crap quite well, but the rest of it was just a headache.

Was he offering her a job? Cheria couldn't believe it and felt a lump form in her throat, slowly turning her head to look back at Jon only when he pulled into a parking spot. "I'm only 17…" Could she really run an office at such a young age? "I'm good with a computer and, if you show me the programs, I'm a fast learner. I run the flower shop actually, do the bills and whatnot. Is that what you need?" She beamed brightly when Jon nodded, wondering how this day had gone from incredibly dull and heartbreaking because of her vehicle problems to…this? "Are you sure about this, Jon? I don't want to make mistakes that hurt you or your company."

"Hey, I know all those programs and the software like the back of my hand."

Since he was the one usually running them. He was just tired of running the office and wanted to be doing work in the garage rather then spending hours doing everything else that needed to be done. There wasn't enough time and, honestly, he was afraid they'd fall behind soon if he didn't get any help.

"I'll show you how to do what needs to be done and it's only part-time." Labor laws for minors had to be followed. "I trust you Cher; you come from good people and I can tell you're from the same stock."

Reaching out, Jon took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. She could get used to spending time with Jon and holding his hand, feeling his touch. Cheria was in deep trouble if she didn't draw the line with this man, who was potentially her new boss, not wanting to cross any boundaries. Then again, he was only doing this to help her out and nothing more. She had to keep reminding herself she was still a kid and nothing would change it.

"I know I keep saying it a lot, but…thank you again. I'll try not to let you down. You better go inside and get those parts." Cheria pulled her hand away reluctantly and watched him get out of the truck, immediately letting the breath she'd inhaled out. This intense effect scared and excited her all at the same time.

"What the hell are you doing?" Jon asked himself as he walked into the store, waving when the manager spotted him and called out a greeting.

Going to the counter, Jon made the transaction and only paid half attention to it. The other half of his mind was out in his truck, firmly on the underage teenager waiting in the passenger seat and how he should not be thinking of her the way he was. Hell, he shouldn't be touching her and offering her a job? Jon was practically setting himself up for trouble.

"I do like trouble..."

"What was that, Jon?"

"Nothing Mike, I'll probably see you next week." He was talking out loud now - that wasn't good.

"What the hell are you doing, Cheria?" She asked herself for the umpteenth time, looking around the truck and tried not to notice it smelled of Jon.

Gasoline, musk and the faint smell of cigarettes. He hadn't lit one up, but she could tell when a person smoked since Uncle Roy did. His choice these days were cigars and he only had one every couple days, nixing the cigarettes long ago. They didn't bother her, surprisingly, since her mother was a heavy smoker too. Her biological mother. Cheria's thoughts drifted back to Jon quickly, not wanting to think about her mother and wondered why he'd offer her a job in the first place being a minor. Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty wouldn't like this – however, they must've respected Jon somewhat to allow him to work on her vehicle. This was just spelling trouble with a capital T.

"I need to turn it down. I should turn it down. I'm going to turn it down." Nevertheless, once Jon was back in the vehicle and they were on the road again, Cheria gave him her answer regarding the job offer. "When do I start?"

She seemed nervous as hell; Jon reached for his cigarettes and lighter, taking his time in lighting one. He then cracked his window open, not about to smother her with second-hand smoke, but he definitely required one right now. "You can start in a few days. Best let Roy know and, if he has a problem, he can come to me." He doubted Roy would care, so long as he didn't find out Jon may have had ulterior motives for this. "Doubt he will though, your Uncle is a pretty square guy."

"He can be, but he also knows the people at the flower shop. It doesn't matter though. It's my decision and my life. I'm almost 18 and they need to deal with it."

Now Cheria sounded frustrated because convincing herself NOT to take the job offer had proven useless. What was it about Jon that made her want to be near him, to talk and get to know him? Now she'd be working for him part-time until she graduated and then hopefully the job, if she did well, would turn full-time. What a day this had been! She watched the cigarette slide out of his mouth every time he took a drag and blew smoke out of his nostrils. It was possibly the sexiest thing she'd ever witness a man do in her short life. The warm pool between her thighs grew and Cheria had to maintain control of her body until she was alone. Then she would work out the issues she currently had, making a mental note NOT to wear anymore skirts around him.

Unaware of the effect he was having on her, Jon swiped his tongue along the corner of his lip before letting it slowly slide along the bottom one. Deep in thought, he took one final drag off of his cigarette before pushing it out the crack of the window, letting the wind take it while taking his time driving her home. He cocked an eyebrow noticing Cheria try to discreetly shift in her seat, noting her delicious thighs were now clenched together and reached over to pat her knee gently.

"Don't worry Cher, your Uncle can be a reasonable guy. I bet he's trying to get you to save up for college or something. Ivy league school maybe." Jon had done the trade route, going to a community college to learn blue-collar work. "You tell him this pays better and he'll be fine."

"I wouldn't doubt it considering they told me I have to go to college if I want to make something of myself. I don't think I have to. I think having just a high school diploma and a job will suffice to survive. They think I'm ridiculous and childish for that train of thought. But I have friends who graduated last year and they are struggling so much in college right now because of bills. Their parents promised to help them through it and now they're demanding them to get a job to pay their own way. I refuse to let that happen to me. Besides, there's no place in the world I'd rather be than Tampa." She loved Florida; it was home and the only place she'd known, even though she was born in Ohio. "Sorry for rambling like that." His hand on her knee hadn't moved and Cheria had to do everything in her power to remain calm, especially when he began kneading it gently to try soothing her. It was a sweet gesture.

"What about community college or something? That's not so bad and there's grants and shit."

Jon had used a scholarship for poor kids to pay his way through trade school for the first year. Second year he had done a type of internship deal where he basically worked and half his wages went towards school. The other half kept a roof over his head.

"Trust me Cher, a little extra school doesn't hurt. I'd probably still be flipping burgers if I hadn't gone for trade." He doubted she'd want to work a factory or waitress job her entire life.

"Hmm maybe."

Honestly, it wasn't a bad idea and Cheria hadn't considered a trade school or community college, only focusing on the negatives instead of positives. Her Aunt and Uncle wanted her to succeed in life. Was that so wrong? She just didn't want them helping her and suffering for it, which is why she would pay for her vehicle instead of the people who loved and cared about her most.

"I'll look into them around here and hopefully I can get into the one in Orlando." It was only an hour drive from Tampa. "There's always online classes too I can take. I did consider that as well while working to support myself. I do know I'm getting a scholarship, but I don't want to go to a big fancy college. Hopefully I can use it for any place I want to attend."

Jon nodded, knowing this was the information age; people did everything on computers. Date, buy groceries, attend school... he wished he had that chance when he was in school. Being able to do all his classes online would have saved him some detention time for sure. It took him a moment to realize they were parked, blinking as he looked out the windshield. Jon had been so engrossed in talking to Cheria and listening to what she had to say, he had been driving on autopilot. It was probably a miracle they had made it here in one piece. Then he realized he was still holding her hand and let go, feeling that sense of reluctance washing over him.

"Here you are." He shifted in his seat to face her. "See you this week then?"

"Yes. Give me the weekend to sort everything out with my Uncle and Aunt and the flower shop. I'll give you a call on Monday after school if you want me to start then. Quick question: what's the attire I should wear for the office?"

At the flower shop it was dress pants and a nice top, nothing too formal though. Semi-casual, if anything. With a mechanic shop, however, she was clueless and could already feel the emptiness from the loss of his hand seeping into her body. She didn't want to say goodbye to him, not yet, but it had to be done. Jon had things to do, such as her vehicle to work on. Cheria also had things to take care of as well. 

A slow eyebrow raised, Jon once again, for what had to be the 100th time in the short amount of time they had known each other, giving her an onceover. That was great attire, but it was already distracting him and Jon couldn't imagine working with her if she came in dressed in little skirts. He would wind up spending more time in the office then he already did now, if that were possible.

"Look at me, darlin', do I look like a guy who does professional work attire?" He laughed, shaking his head. "Jeans are fine. If you want to dress up, that's fine too." Jon shrugged his massive shoulders, draping one arm along the back of the seat, his fingertips just near enough to almost graze her hair. "I'm pretty easygoing about clothes."

Did he just call her darlin'? Cheria could feel his fingers stroking her braided hair and chewed her bottom lip, the nerves once again spilling out. "Right, sorry. Stupid thing to ask. I'll – uh – I'll figure it out then." She really had to get out of this truck before something happened that shouldn't – that couldn't! "You truly are a lifesaver and a saint, Jon. See you on Monday."

Before he could say another word, she hopped out of the trunk and shut the door, hurrying inside feeling as though her heart might explode out of her chest. Jesus, how was she supposed to work for a man like THAT? Jon simply watched as she scurried into the house like her backside was on fire, a slow grin spreading across his face. He stroked his chin, not minding the scruff, considering what this next week would hold. Hell, Joe would probably try stringing him up by his balls and Jon groaned, beginning to back out of the driveway. Wondering just how he was going to explain this to not only his employee, but his friend. If Joe was just someone who worked for him, no problem. Joe was his best friend though, practically family, and he would have a lot of issues with this.

"Cross that bridge later..." Jon had a car to go work on and, in a few days, a new employee to... train.

It took some convincing, but eventually Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty let Cheria make the decision on whether to take the job at Good's Automobile Repairs or continue at the flower shop. Cheria needed more money to pay for her vehicle, that's how she rationalized it anyway. So here she was, in a cab on the way to her new job, wearing a pair of dark denim jeans that hugged her curves and clung to her legs nicely along with a magenta short sleeved buttoned up top. She'd put her hair back in a neat twist, not wanting it interfering with her job. Once the cab pulled up to the shop, Cheria took a deep breath, paid the driver and slid out of the backseat with her purse in hand, heading inside to start her first day.

This would be interesting to say the least.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

To say Joe was not a happy camper was litotes. He got it. The girl was hot. They needed someone to run the office at least part time. But damn it... Jon was not thinking about business, he was thinking with his dick. It wouldn't be such a problem if she was of age, not still in high school. Joe made Jon swear up and down, promise on everything holy, to not do anything on the flipside of legal. The last thing they needed was negative reputations in the city for hiring minors to do 'dirty work'. He shuddered at the thought, making it clear he did not approve of Jon's decision to hire Cheria. Granted, she was only a few months away from turning 18, but that still didn't ease the big man's concern any. The explanation of Cheria needing a better paying job because she wanted to take care of her own vehicle was commendable and responsible, Joe admitted, but he knew Jon. His friend was on the verge of creating chaos for himself as well as the business and Joe enjoyed what he did for a living too much to let his boss's desires destroy it. Jon made that promise, though he was only 75% sure he could keep it. A few months. He could use the time to get to know Cheria. Hell, maybe this rather painful physical attraction would wear off.

"She's here."

"Down boy." Joe reached for a spray bottle filled with water and squirted Jon right in the face.

"You mother- Hey Cher."

"Hi…" Why was Jon's face all wet? She quickly put two and two together since Joe still had the spray bottled water in his hand, trying not to laugh. "Sorry if I'm a few minutes late; the cab driver got lost on the way here." Cheria rolled her eyes, walking around the desk and could see everything was already set up for her. There were filing cabinets, a computer that looked out of date, but functional and paperwork she would definitely have to be trained on. "So boss, should we get started? Or are you having someone else train me?" 

"There is no one else to train you. Cheria, this is Joe, my right hand man."

"Hello." Joe nodded at her before squirting Jon again. "I'm going back to _work_, boss."

Jon planned on shoving that squirt bottle down Joe's throat later. "I have another guy who comes in on weekends to help out. You won't see him until Friday. I'm the only one who touches the computer, which is... old, but for now..." Purchasing a new tower wasn't really on his high priority list since this one still served its purpose. It most likely needed some upgrades and more memory, if he had to guess. "You ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

It was a blunt honest answer, even if she did have experience from her job at the flower shop. Mrs. O'Heary was sad to see her go, but Cheria had to do what was best for her. She assured Cheria, if she ever needed a job and this one didn't work out, she was more than welcome to return. That did Cheria's heart good because she honestly felt terrible for leaving the flower shop and the O'Heary's. They were a second family to her practically.

Jon handed over a notebook with a pen so she could take notes. Cheria was huge on note taking. They helped her out in school, so she knew the workforce would be no different. High school existed primarily to help prepare people for the real world. College, not so much. Cheria did look into some trade schools and community colleges in the area, taking Jon's advice. If affordable, she would definitely attend community college, though it was a little more expensive than trade school remarkably. She listened while Jon explained the basics on how the process went putting in clients to have vehicles looked at. When Cheria had to ask questions, she did, but for the most part she remained quiet and wrote, soaking everything in Jon said. Not to mention, his deep raspy voice was music to her ears.

When Jon himself had to learn how to use these programs and the software, he had taken notes simply because there was no way he would remember everything straight away. He had mainly made notes on how to use the programs to complete important tasks. Those notes had saved him a time or two, but now he knew everything off the top of his head. Repetition had nearly killed him. They went over the bookkeeping aspect, what she could do of it anyway, how to access client accounts, create new accounts, the invoice software and everything else he could think of off the top of his head. The only thing Jon didn't bother with was the payroll. He was the only one who would do that until Cheria turned of age, then that task would befall to her.

By the time 8 PM rolled around, it was time to head home and Cheria couldn't believe how fast the time flew by. Joe had gone home an hour ago, warning Jon yet again to play nice and sprayed him a third time in the face. Cheria couldn't help giggling at their antics; it reminded her of brothers picking on each other. Something told her Joe was a little older than Jon, even if he was the boss. It made her wonder how old he was, but she refused to ask that question. That would open up a world of trouble for her she'd already leapt headfirst into.

"Okay so, to create a new account I just click this button here," Cheria leaned over Jon a little and her silk blouse covered breast slid across his forearm without realizing it. This was the closest she'd been to him all day while he trained her. "But you want me to see if they're in the system first before creating a new account, so I go here, right?" Again, she pointed to another button wanting to make sure she understood.

This was hell on earth to deal with, Jon thought, nodding silently not trusting his voice at the moment. He shifted in his seat, either trying to get away from her luscious breasts, which were quite warm -that silk wasn't hiding anything- or maybe angling for more, he wasn't sure. For the most part, the day had gone well. Jon didn't have too many X-rated thoughts, though he had to acknowledge there was definitely some kind of chemistry. He really just hoped it wasn't only on his part. She had to be feeling it too, right?

"Here, Cher, let me move."

Jon shifted, a bit too fast apparently in his rolling chair and she tottered off-balance. Instinctively, he caught her, feeling her pert ass landing in his lap. Instantaneously, her cheeks turned crimson red and Cheria could feel them burning like a bright inferno. The position she was in now was…awkward. That was putting it mildly. Landing in his lap in a straddled position was the last thing Cheria expected to happen. She couldn't stop it though once Jon knocked into her, forcing her to land in his lap. Her hands were on his broad muscular shoulders, feeling part of his skin beneath her fingertips since he wore a beater. Feeling her mouth turn dry, Cheria slid her tongue out instinctively to wet them and felt her emerald eyes widen when she felt something hard beneath her backside.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

She scrambled off his lap, only to land on the floor staring up at him and the mortification turned from bad to worse. Could she make a bigger fool of herself in front of him?! That was embarrassing, beyond uncouth and Jon cleared his throat, reaching back to rub the nape of his neck with his hand, not surprised at all to find his curls sticking due to sweat. He needed to apologize to her, not the other way around. Cheria probably thought he was some repugnant pervert now and that just didn't sit well with him, causing his gut to churn.

"No, I'm sorry." Jon bent down towards her, trying to ignore the painful erection he sported, really glad his bandana was covering his ears because they had gone bright red. "Here."

Standing, Jon reached down to help her into a standing position in front of him. The moment their hands touched, once again she felt the volts of warmth shoot up her arms and heat spread throughout her frame. Cheria was tiny compared to him, standing 5'7 and had a glass bottle figure. Those eyes of his were once again compelling her, drawing her in and Cheria was powerless against the intense attraction.

"I'm okay, not your fault. It was an accident."

Trying to get the burning in her cheeks to simmer, Jon hadn't released her hands yet. Cheria would be lying if she said she wanted him to, enjoying this man touching her anywhere. That thought alone made her cheeks flame up again and emerald eyes finally tore away from pale blue to stare blatantly at the floor.

"I-I really should go…"

Jon shook his head, detecting she was having a skittish moment and gently nudged her back towards his now vacated chair. "Finish up and then you can leave." He ordered softly, wondering if she had a ride or if she would need one.

If she did, Jon wondered how that would go, highly doubting the silver haired beauty wanted to be around him right now. One part of him didn't blame her, the other part wanted to induce this and see where it led. Turning her attention back to the computer, Cheria could feel Jon behind her, leaning over her shoulder. His hot breath caked her neck since her hair was still in the twist. Little strands of silver hair had escaped the twist and framed her face though, making her brush them back behind her ear. How was Cheria supposed to finish her training after what just happened? Maybe it didn't affect him, but then again she had felt his arousal.

"What were we talking about again?"

It took Jon a moment to remember. "New accounts." He inwardly cursed for being such a fool. Jon was never this way with women, no matter their age, and the fact Cheria was still practically a baby only made this worse for him. "Before creating a new account, you have to check and make sure they aren't already in the system."

Nodding, Cheria remembered what they'd been covering and continued on with the training session. When they finished, it was nearing 9 PM and Cheria was exhausted both mentally and physically, her backside sore from landing on the concrete floor of the office. Uncle Roy called to check on her at 8:30 and was on his way currently to pick her up. Jon had more work to do and Cheria needed fresh Jon-free air to breathe. Once he shut the system down, she tucked her notes in one of the drawers and locked it, having the key. Jon was kind enough to slide it on her key ring when she struggled with it.

"So, same time tomorrow then, boss?" She had to break the uncomfortable silence between them somehow, cracking a small smile to let Jon know she wasn't appalled by what happened earlier.

"Sure."

Figuring he would have to start wearing boxer/briefs, Jon usually went commando. His last serious girlfriend had nagged him to wear them, something about his ass and package looking better. Jon didn't like them because he hadn't been fine with his nuts being so confined. However, he couldn't let something like this happen again. Even if Cheria was cutting him a break right now, that didn't mean she'd do it again and he didn't feel like adding sexual harassment to his current record of offenses. 

"Your car should be done within a day or two." Joe had been kind enough to work on it today, in between their other clients. Jon planned on staying over tonight to get what he could done, knowing she needed her own wheels.

"Really?" That surprised Cheria since the transmission had to be completely rebuilt, her emerald eyes glittering with happiness. "That's awesome, you really are the best in Tampa, aren't you?" She didn't mean it the way it came out, but it was too late to take the comment back. "I-I mean with cars…"

Cheria made it worse and took the clip out of her hair, letting the silver waves fall down her back and shoulders to rest right in the middle. She ran her fingers through it to get rid of the crimps and looked out the window, not seeing Uncle Roy anywhere yet. What was taking him so long?

"Speaking of my car, now that I'm working for you, I wanted to see if you could just take my payments out of my checks. Is that possible?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

Jon was entranced by those nimble little fingers of hers sliding through the silver tresses and wondered if they were as soft as they looked. Leaning over the desk to make a note about the money thing, Jon would enter the information for her first thing in the morning. She had sounded surprised about the transmission and he supposed she hadn't spent all that much time in a garage. It was an automatic transmission, which, after diagnosing all the problems and whatnot, generally took 3 to 4 days to rebuild. He figured he was right on time and might have also taken care of some other problems he uncovered.

"Thanks." Cheria noticed Uncle Roy pull up and grabbed her purse, looking back at Jon again. "See you tomorrow, boss. Don't work too late." She sent him a wink on her way out the door and slipped into the passenger seat of her Uncle's SUV, buckling up.

"So, why are you just now gettin' out?"

"Training. I wanted to knock out as much of it as possible since I know Mr. Good has a lot of other things to do in the shop." She knew better than to call Jon by his first name in front of her Uncle and Aunt.

Roy seemed to believe her and pulled away from the shop, heading back home. "You need to inform Jonny boy to let you out at 7 from now on. You missed dinner, but Auntie saved a plate for you. It's in the microwave for you to warm up."

"I will."

Jon made sure everything was locked up before parking his backside in the desk chair, leaning back letting his head tilt. Maybe he could get the blood flowing back to his brain and out of his balls because that incident left him hurting. He would have a serious case of blue balls unless he went and handled business himself.

"I'm so fucked..."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Friday came as Cheria walked into Good's Automobile Repairs, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. More training and hopefully zero awkward moments. None had happened since her first night working for Jon. Her dreams were filled with him though. His touch and mouth everywhere on her body, holding her down in certain positions devouring her whole. Cheria would awaken in a pool of sweat and heat, taking a cold shower. It was the only way to get her to go back to sleep, only to dream of him again. No man had ever affected her this way, especially none of the boys in school. What was it about Jonathan Good that made her subconscious battle with her emotions and thoughts, forcing them to rise to the surface? She couldn't figure it out.

"Cheria, come on out here for a second. There's something we wanna show you."

Confused by her boss's request, Cheria set her purse down on the desk and walked out back into the garage, emerald eyes widening at the sight. "Oh my god…"

Jon spent his nights working late on her car, which allowed him and Joe to deal with other clients. Joe did tend to tinker with the Chevy during his downtime, helping as much as he could. Since he was no longer constantly dealing with the clerical part of the company, other work was caught up on. Sleep was not one of them. And cold showers and using his hand were only getting him so far. So Jon busted his backside all day and part of the night before falling asleep, or rather passing out. He grinned at the look on Cheria's face as she took in her Malibu. They had buffed out some scratches, fixed dents, touched up the paint and Joe loved messing with engines, so... hers was definitely in pristine shape. Transmission rebuilt, everything they could manage in a week and didn't cost them an arm and leg, it had been done.

"Flies are going to get in, darlin', if you leave your mouth open much longer."

"This is…This can't be my car…"

It was hardly recognizable and looked…brand new. The old dents were gone, the color had been repainted to its beautiful cerulean blue and all the chrome on it redone as well. She thought this was just a mechanical shop, but apparently Jon had a few tricks up his sleeve. Joe grinned alongside Jon, placing his hand on the small of her back and guided her over to the car since she was frozen in place.

"Get behind the wheel; let us know what you think." They may have messed with the interior as well.

They were supposed to just work on the transmission. This would cost a fortune, but Cheria couldn't wipe the smile from her face even if her life depended on it – not right now. "Wow…" She had no other words, sliding her hands around the wheel and admired the black cloth material that replaced the leather. It would be more comfortable for her to drive in, especially in the heat Tampa was famous for. "I-I don't know what to say…"

"Thank you is a good place to start." Joe teased, eyeballing the car.

Granted, it had cost a little more then what they had assumed, mainly because they had been pricing just the transmission and cost of labor and parts. Really, it hadn't been that big of a deal. They did have some spare crap taking up shelf space and some Junkers in the back of the garage Jon didn't want to pay to have towed out, but they hadn't really had any other purpose. New interior came from one of those Junkers.

"Start it up, Cher." Jon urged, already knowing it purred like a kitten.

He and Joe had taken it for a test drive earlier that morning before the sun had even peeked over the horizon. It drove a hell of a lot better than it had when she brought it in. Hopefully, it would last her another year or two, providing Cheria didn't go buck wild in it.

"Thank you." Cheria murmured loud enough for Jon to hear and fired up the vehicle, closing her eyes at the sound of it. There was no knocking; it was a quiet and smooth purr. "Incredible, so much more than I ever hoped for."

Jon had squatted down to be eyelevel with her, his arm resting on the open window. He was so close to her while she sat behind the wheel of her freshly rebuilt vehicle that would be safe to drive again. Her eyes watered and a single tear slid down her cheek as Cheria took his hand, squeezing it gently. Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty wouldn't have to worry about her driving the Malibu anymore.

"I mean it, thank you so much for what you did for me."

"Not a problem, Cher."

Jon squeezed her hand back before standing up, reaching into his pants pocket to procure a clean rag for her and held it out, having noticed the tear and expected more to follow. He also expected Roy to hang him by the tips of his toes because this was really overkill. Of course, Jon already had a contingency plan for that. They had once helped him out of the pits of hell so to speak, so this was his way of returning the favor the best way he knew how.

"Take it for a drive, darlin', and see how it runs."

"Will you come with me?"

Cheria wanted to share this moment with him, wiping a few more tears away and hated she was crying in front of her new boss. Jon slid into the passenger seat moments later and Cheria grinned, waiting for him to buckle up before pulling out of the garage carefully to go for a drive. Wanting to put it through a true test to make sure it would make it to the community college she'd picked out to attend after high school, Cheria headed out toward the highway.

"You're a miracle worker, Jon."

"Hey, now as much as I want to take all the credit, I can't. Joe helped out a lot."

Jon was able to give credit where it was due and his friend did deserve a lot of it. He could feel how the car was running; it was running in tip top condition and he grinned, staring at Cheria while she drove. She was enjoying this and that made it worthwhile to him.

"You happy with it, Cher?" He asked, taking note she didn't seem overly concerned with getting back to the garage right away, not having a problem with it.

"Yes, I'm very happy with it. I can't say thank you enough and I don't know how I'll ever repay you for doing this. But I'll do my best as your secretary." Cheria didn't mind him calling her any term of endearment, her heart fluttering every time it happened.

Eventually, she drove back to the garage and hopped out of the car, making a beeline for Joe, who was working on another vehicle. "Mr. Anoa'i, will you take a break for a minute?"

She really was a sweet young thing and Joe liked her already, pulling away from the engine he was working on. "Yes, baby girl?"

Crooking her finger, Cheria waited until he lowered a little and wrapped her arms around his neck hugging him tightly. Then she kissed his cheek before pulling back, grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you for what you did to my car. I really appreciate it." She would thank Jon the same way once they were alone. "Now you can get back to work. Come on, boss. Time to get busy." Cheria was in the best spirits right now and nothing could bring her down from this high.

Where the hell was his hug, kiss and potential reach-a-round? Jon shook his head, chortling. "Go on, Cher; I got things to do out here."

Such as being away from her and her ability to give him a raging hard-on every 20 minutes or so. It looked like Joe was firmly squared away in Cheria's corner. The guy was such a damn sucker. He cocked his head to the side when he heard bells ringing, glancing at her.

"We have clients."

That was now Cheria's area until she knew what they needed. Then he or Joe would get involved. This job was a little challenging compared to her last position, but nothing Cheria couldn't handle. She had to memorize the list of parts for the shop and planned on making a copy to take home to look over. Cheria would have to ask the boss's permission first. Once the clients were taken care of, she began looking over her notes and fired up the computer, looking up clients to see if they were in the system first before adding them, just like she was trained. However, she hit a snag with a certain part and groaned in frustration, trying to look in the book for it instead of bothering Jon or Joe with a question. If she could solve it herself, it would show initiative and that she could solve problems herself. The faster she could memorize the parts in the shop, the better off Cheria would be.

When Cheria eventually came to him about a part, Joe was a little confused. "Why do you need to know about this?" He asked, wondering if she had any aspirations to be a mechanic or something.

Sure, having someone manning the front desk with basic knowledge was helpful, but Cheria really didn't need to worry about parts. He listened patiently as she explained her situation and had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. She was so serious; it was adorable.

"Cheria," Joe began quietly, knowing he would probably embarrass her and hoped to avoid doing it too much. "The client's don't order parts from us. We order out for those usually and, if the client comes in asking about something specific, you can send them to us because we get a lot of people who think they know what they're talking about and don't."

One day, Joe would tell her about the time some idiot came in thinking he had brake problems when the actuality of it was he had a serpentine belt that was literally seconds away from snapping. It was one thing to be ignorant and let someone else figure it out. Another to be ignorant and try to pretend otherwise. Parts literally came in millions of varieties. There were parts by maker, by model, by year... his head was spinning.

"Okay…"

So she didn't have to worry about the parts then? Cheria was perfectly fine with that and thanked Joe for his knowledge before heading back into the office. She felt stupid, but at the same time she was new and had zero knowledge of how a mechanic shop functioned. Why Jon hired her was beyond Cheria, but she would do her best not to ask any more stupid questions. That was the first and only question she asked, the sun setting on the horizon and the clock struck 6 PM when Jon finally came back into the office. Her head was down writing an order form out for a client to put in the box Jon showed her. They picked it up and would call the client when they had room in the shop to bring the vehicle in to be fixed. She didn't notice the boss walk in until his voice sounded in her ear, making her jump in her chair and clutched her chest through the baby blue top she wore.

"Jesus, you scared me!"

Jon smirked, busy toweling his hands dry, though they did smell awesome. He loved Fast Orange and kept several gallons of the relatively coarse soap on hand. It was the one thing that really worked on all the grease he tended to accumulate.

"Sorry, Cher." He apologized, throwing the wet paper towels into the trashcan under the desk, brushing against her to do so. Jon then looked over what she was doing, nodding his head. "You're catching on quick. Have any problems today?"

"Um no…" There was no way Cheria would tell him what happened with Joe, keeping that to herself. "I'm a little slow at it, but the people were very understanding when I told them I was new." She turned her chair and brushed her leg against Jon's, looking up at him while his huge hands planted on the desk beside her. Cheria owed him something she'd given Joe earlier, but wanted to do it one-on-one without prying eyes around. "I never properly thanked you for doing an amazing job on my car."

Standing, Cheria smiled and crooked her finger at Jon the same way she did to Joe, waiting until he did before wrapping her arms around his neck to hug him tightly. He smelled amazing and her eyes shut, enjoying being this close to him to where their chests pressed together. No matter how hard he tried, Jon couldn't keep his eyes from closing or from inhaling Cheria's sweet scent, wondering if that was perfume or just all her. He could feel her lithe lush body against his and knew his would react, willing it not to. Snaking his arms around her, Jon gathered this was a 'thank you' hug for her car. In the process of embracing her, he lifted Cheria until her toes dragged against the ripped carpeted floor.

"I think you owe me a kiss to make it even, Cher." Jon rumbled, his already raspy voice deepening, becoming huskier. 

The sound of his voice made her tremble in his arms and Cheria couldn't stop it, having zero control over what her body did. She didn't pull back either, burying her face in the crook of his neck and took a deep shaky breath. Cheria was sure Jon could feel her shuddering and felt his arms tighten more around her, not to the point of crushing. He was asking for a kiss…and her heart had accelerated tenfold. One of the dreams she had recently started just like this with her hugging him for some reason and it turned into something hot, heavy and intimate, involving an intense sexual bout between them.

"Thank you, Jon." She breathed against his ear, slowly pulling back enough to brush her glossy lips against his cheek, closing her eyes once again letting them linger a little longer than necessary.

The stubble felt amazing against her lips and when she pulled away, they barely brushed against his jaw line before their eyes locked together again. Even if he had truly wanted to, and Jon did not want to at all, he could not stop himself from what happened next. All she had done was kiss his cheek, but it felt like the most sensual sexually charged experience of his life. It was agonizing, painful, this feeling and knowing that he shouldn't act on it, doing it anyway. Jon stared down at her for a moment, his usually pale blues abnormally dark and then kissed her. A proper kiss, on her glossed lips, and the moment his lips met hers, it was... there were no words. He instantly wanted more, to taste her, touch her, all of it and his hands tightened on her, pulling Cheria closer, if it were possible. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Her breath was stolen from her body the moment Jon's mouth captured hers in a soft kiss, hands gripping his muscular arms almost to the point of painful. Cheria hadn't expected him to kiss her and it felt like her heart may explode out of her chest. Her dream was coming true; it both excited and scared the daylights out of her. What was she doing? This was her boss – her new boss at that! And he was kissing her in his office, a minor who was still in high school and months shy of being a legal adult. Cheria should've pushed him away, slapped the taste out of his mouth and ran for the hills, but all she could do was let him kiss her, embracing every second of his delicious mouth on hers. The magnetic attraction for Jon was scary and made Cheria question every one of her morals. She felt his tongue slide across her lips and Cheria opened her mouth, giving him full access unable to deny this beautiful man anything. 

In the back of Jon's mind, the mantra _this is wrong_ played on repeat. Fortunately for him, he was able to pretty much ignore that chant because Cheria was lighting him on fire in ways he didn't know he could be. She was responsive and eager for him; the way her body moved against his, as if they were trying to meld together, he knew she probably wouldn't deny him anything he wanted. When she parted her lips, Jon groaned from deep within his chest, unable to resist tasting her. Even if that was all he got was nothing except a taste, he had to have it.

Their tongues touching for the first time sent volts of electricity throughout her body and her hands slid up his arms to his shoulders before wrapping around his neck. Jon lifted Cheria and planted her on the desk to stand between her dress pant covered thighs, the kiss never breaking. A soft moan slid out of her mouth and then another, letting Jon search and reach every crevice of her mouth. The strength and masculinity in this man was prodigious and enticing at the same time, her lower extremities tingling along with the rest of her body. It'd been a long time since she was kissed this deeply – then again, Cheria couldn't recall any of her 'boyfriends' in school kissing her like this. They weren't men, Jon was and that made all the difference in the world.

Jon was as close to her as he could get, what with the desk in his way and their clothes... though this position, with her properly aligned against him, he could feel the heat emanating from her. He knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Cheria tasted divine and his hands moved from her waist, one burying itself in her silky silver hair, the other moving to her back, holding her firmly against him. He had never wanted a woman so bad in his life. She made every inch of him ache in ways Jon couldn't explain and kissing her was only intensifying that ache. When it felt like his chest may explode from lack of oxygen, he reluctantly broke the kiss, pressing his head against hers and stared deeply into her emerald eyes.

"I-I'm 17…underage…" Cheria stammered out in between heavy breathing, not releasing his neck and leaned into him as well, her normal emerald orbs nothing more than dark cloudy forest green.

Her lips were swollen from the passionate kiss and the trembling hadn't ceased. Cheria slid her tongue out to wet her dry mouth and heard a groan sound from Jon, so many questions flooding her eyes. What happened now? He kissed her and there was no going back from it unless he wanted to pretend it never happened. Making no move to get away from him, Cheria didn't push him away and stroked the back of his neck with her fingers. The last thing she wanted him to do was let him go, even if this was wrong in every way possible. 

"Let me go, this is wrong…"

"Yeah, it is, darlin'." Jon agreed, not surprised that she had gone this route.

At least one of them was being sensible. She was only 17, she was underage and he probably should have let her go. However, Cheria wasn't actively trying to get away from him or screaming for help. If anything, she was encouraging him because Jon could feel her fingers on his neck, burning a path up and down his nape.

"Christ, Cheria..." He whispered, licking his lips, tasting her gloss. "I don't _want_ to let you go."

17…she was 17…Cheria had to keep reminding herself of the underage status and hated it, tears shimmering in her eyes. It killed her not being able to go further with Jon because of a number. He wanted her and she wanted him, but she was also a virgin and had no idea how to satisfy a man.

"Jon…" She whispered his name, unable to say anything else and felt the passion haze slowly diminish from her brain, letting her think rationally. "You have to." Cheria pulled her hands away from his neck and dropped them to his arms, sucking her bottom lip between her teeth nervously. "W-We can't – This can't happen…" She was merely a child compared to him, not knowing how old Jon was and didn't care. Maybe Cheria could say something to jolt him back to reality too and turn his dark blues back to normal pale. "Please…" What she was pleading for she didn't know. 

Because she had said please, and was on the verge of begging, Jon stopped. Her words reached him where his conscience could not and he nodded, stepping away from her, giving her space. Giving them both space. Jon knew if he remained to close to her, he would kiss Cheria again and it would be all over.

"I'm... I'm sorry." He finally said, leaning back against the wall, still tasting her on his tongue. "God Cher, I didn't mean-" No, he had and he swallowed down the rest of his words, knowing now she would quit.

Hell, he would not blame her and she would probably turn him over to the police.

"Please don't." Cheria pleaded, blinking the tears away and couldn't look at him because she was ashamed of her actions. "Just don't say anything. I get it. I didn't think you…whatever, it doesn't matter. Let's just pretend it never happened, okay?"

That's what Jon was about to say before stopping himself to avoid hurting her feelings. Cheria wasn't stupid and it hurt, but she should've known it would happen. She was a child and he was a man; they could never work.

"I need to get out of here. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Weekends were the only days out of the week she could work in the mornings – Saturdays mostly since the shop was closed Sunday. "Good night, Jon."

Heading toward the exit with her purse in hand, Cheria could feel her heart breaking with each step she took away from him. Cheria had just thrown him for a loop and like a total idiot, Jon just stood there, watching as she walked away towards the door. It dimly registered she planned on walking or something because her car was out back in the employee lot and he shook his head. Snapping out of it, Jon took off after her, catching her just outside the door and caught her by the arm, mindful of his strength because he knew he could easily bruise and hurt her.

"Cher, come back inside." He said softly, not dragging her back in, but not allowing her to walk away any further. "I know you're upset with me and you have every right to be..."

"No I'm not…"

She was confused and mortified a kiss was just shared with her new boss. It wasn't a good idea for her to go back in the office. What Cheria should've done was run away from him, get in her fixed car and hauled her cookies home. The pleading in his pale blues made Cheria weak in the knees and she let him pull her back into the office, not releasing her arm. What was she doing? They just shared an intimate explosive kiss and now Cheria walked right back into the fire.

"I really shouldn't be here right now, Jon…" Why did he chase after her and pull her back in here? What else was there to say?

"Look, just take a minute to calm down, all right? And maybe drive your car?"

Jon knew she was used to being picked up by her Uncle, but there was no need for that anymore, not now with her car being fixed. He also knew Roy wasn't coming to get her tonight because he had personally called the man to let him know the Chevy Malibu was in fine working order. Releasing her arm, Jon could tell he wasn't helping the situation any and simply stared at her, wondering what he could say to fix this.

"I was planning on driving my car. The shop garage is still open and I have my keys."

Cheria jingled them in front of him, trying to ease the tension somehow. This wasn't good. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss, the feeling of his scruff scratching her chin ever so slightly and the taste of him in her mouth…Cheria had to stop the thoughts from traveling in a southern direction.

"I-I'm fine now, really. I can drive. Maybe you're the one who needs a moment or two to calm down." Cheria pointed out, playing with her keys and suddenly found the floor more interesting than Jon. When he reached out to touch her again, Cheria was quick this time and shook her head vehemently. "Don't." It was a mere shaky whisper full of longing and struggle, her brain battling with her heart along with her conscience.

Damn the morals!

"Fine."

Jon held up his hands, showing her he would not touch her and took a few steps backwards, giving her space. He was going about this all wrong and sure as hell didn't want her going around the damn building and fence to get to her car. If Jon pursued her much more, he would no doubt add jail time to his already busy schedule. She looked panicked and Jon studied her closely, wondering just what she was scared about. That was desire in her eyes and she was fighting it. Jon guided Cheria to her vehicle in the garage, keeping his hands to himself and she was thankful for it. She opened the driver's door and then shut it, turning back to face her boss.

"You're going to keep what happened earlier a secret, right?" Uncle Roy would throw a fit and Aunt Betty would force her to quit this job if they found out about the kiss – or any kind of intimacy with Jon. "I don't want you getting in trouble for my stupid actions."

What Cheria really wanted to ask him was why he kissed her and how did a simple cheek kiss turn into a full-blown passionate lip lock? Now wasn't the time though. They'd been awkward enough with each other for one night.

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Wait... your stupid actions?"

Jon hadn't meant to bark that out and cleared his throat, glad Joe had gone home early. Was Cheria really trying to put the blame on herself? Now he really felt like a jackass and raked a hand over his head, pulling away the bandana, revealing his curls. There was no way he could let her leave without setting the record straight.

"It wasn't your fault, Cher. I should've... Look, I'm not _sorry_ for what I did." He said finally, looking fierce. "I'm only sorry you're so upset about it." And that he was now officially a child molester or something along those lines.

"What?" Had this man lost his mind? Or maybe he wasn't thinking straight? "How can you say that?! D-Do you understand what's happening here? Because I don't."

This was perplexing and it made her head spin. She was a high-school child, a minor and Jon was a grown man who just kissed her to the point where her toes curled. Hearing him say he wasn't sorry for kissing her made Cheria's stomach clench violently and her body temperature begin rising again. The intensity in his blue eyes made her breathless and Cheria took another step back when Jon came toward her, closing the distance between them. His auburn blonde curls fell slightly into his eyes and Cheria had to fight the urge not to brush them away from his gaze. She didn't, keeping her arms firmly at her sides when all Cheria wanted to do was feel his mouth against hers again.

"Yeah, I understand what's happening here. You're a minor." And he was a dirty old man who knew better. "Go home, Cheria." Jon rapped his knuckles against her car, not surprised when she twitched and flashed her a crooked smile, hoping to diffuse some of the tension between them. "I promise to... behave, if you decide to come back and still work here." He could only hope his promise meant something because he was dying to kiss the confusion off her face and replace it with something else. Minor, he reminded himself. Jailbait.

"I wasn't planning on quitting, Jon."

Cheria had her vehicle to pay for and college, not to mention this job paid a lot better than the flower shop. She was stuck with Jonathan Good, not overly-minding it, even given what happened. At the very least, he got his train of thought back on track and was thinking clearly.

"Try to get some rest tonight, boss man." Cheria cracked a smile back at him that barely stretched her lips and slid behind the wheel, firing up the vehicle enjoying the purring sound it gave off. "By the way," She called out of the window, turning the radio off and stopped Jon from walking back into the office. "I'm not sorry for what happened either." Then she pulled out of the garage and headed home, letting the cool night air blow through her hair. "I'm going to hell."

Despite his best efforts not to grin, Jon could not stop the smile that crossed his face, and shook his head. "I am going to hell." He said cheerfully and began whistling as he went to pack it up for the night.

Doubting he would sleep easy tonight, there was way too much on his mind for that, but he also knew that things were going to be a bit more interesting around the shop. She would be 18 in a few months. Then, if Cheria didn't overly-mind, he could kiss her all he wanted and potentially more.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Would you mind runnin' to the store for me, Cheri?"

"Not a problem, Uncle. What do you need?"

Cheria wrote down what Uncle Roy needed and headed out to the store on her day off. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and she was all caught up on her homework, so she'd spend it either writing or maybe asking one of her friends out to a movie. Prom was on the horizon and her best friend, Monique, had badgered her to go shopping to find dresses. She didn't plan on going until Aunt Betty claimed how excited she was to see her niece all dolled up during breakfast that morning. The last thing Cheria wanted to do was break her Aunt's heart when she'd done so much for her and now that she had a decent paying job, she could pay for her own dress. It'd been a month since she started at Good's Automobile Repairs and she hadn't had any other awkward situations with Jon, keeping it professional. No matter how hard she tried, Cheria couldn't forget about the kiss though and was tortured nightly in her dreams. At least they weren't nightmares; there was always a silver lining somewhere. 20 minutes later, she shut the ignition to her vehicle off and stepped out, heading into the grocery store with a list in hand and cash from her Uncle. They were having steaks on the grill, but apparently he'd forgotten a few things to make the meal.

On one hand, having Cheria around was great. Jon was actually gone from work at a decent hour now that she had really gotten the hang of things and no longer stuck around to do it. On the other hand, he had never ever suffered such a severe case of blue balls in his life. He was worried it might become permanent. Cheria showed no indication she was interested in anything outside of their working relationship and, in theory, that was how it should be. In practice, he just wanted to fuck her raw on the desk.

"Beer..." Jon was shopping only because he was officially out of toilet paper and he had plans for that day. His cart held said toilet paper, junk food, some ground beef, Red Bull, chips and now... beer. "Or whiskey..."

It wasn't that Cheria didn't want to be with Jon because she did. She was a minor though, underage, a child – the same excuses surfaced over and over again in her brain, reminding her of all the reasons why she couldn't be with her boss. So Cheria put a guard up around him, treating him professionally and didn't call him boss, boss man or anything flirtatious. It was simply Jon since he refused to be called Mr. Good, not formal at all. Cheria groaned when he popped into her brain yet again and sighed, turning the corner only to slam her cart into someone else's.

"Shit!" She slapped a hand over her mouth, not meaning to curse in front of an adult and felt her eyes widen at the sight of… "Jon?"

This had to be fate throwing her a curveball and testing her limits. Jon had been close to ripping whoever had crashed into him a new verbal asshole because he had almost gone right into the beer display. When he heard Cheria's voice, he inwardly cursed whatever god was up there today taking its turn tormenting him.

"Hey Cher."

He turned to smile at her, forcing himself to not look her over. Jon remembered the outfit she had worn when she first showed up at his garage, a short white skirt. It had been all slacks and blouses since then for the most part. He himself was in a pair of skintight jeans that had several rather large holes in the knees, a few worn spots on his backside and a white beater that fit him like a second skin.

Even though it was April, the humidity had risen steeply in Tampa and forced the shorts and tanks out for almost everyone in the city. So currently, Cheria was in a pair of burnt orange cotton shorts and a matching tank top, her silver hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun with tendrils framing her makeup free face. Against better judgment, she gave Jon a scan and felt that familiar heat flaming up inside of her.

"Hi." Cheria greeted lamely, scratching the back of her neck awkwardly. "Sorry, should've watched where I was going."

Why did he have to be in this grocery store of all the other ones in Tampa? That answer was because he lived literally 2 blocks away from this particular store. Jon moved a few months ago, by necessity. His old place had bedbugs and cockroaches. The roach problem was something that a lot of places in the south had to deal with and he refused to live anywhere bugs existed. His landlord hadn't pretended to care so he had bailed and found a better, so far bug-free, apartment.

"You're fine, no harm done." Jon set down his case of beer, deciding tonight probably would not be a good night for whiskey. "I'm guessing you're shopping for the cookout?"

Eyeballing the contents of her cart, Jon sifted through his until he had unearthed the bags of chips he was bringing. He offered to do more, but Betty had threatened him -sweetly, of course- if he even thought about bringing a store bought cake, she would paddle him. Jon felt a hint of tension between them, but mostly amusement when she looked confused.

"They didn't tell you I was coming?"

"What? No…wait, what?" Since when was Jon invited to a barbeque at her Aunt and Uncle's house? Cheria swallowed hard, realizing she wasn't properly clothed in front of this man and wondered why Uncle Roy didn't mention anything, not to mention Aunt Betty, about Jon coming over. "I mean – sorry, that came out wrong." Cheria plastered on a smile and gripped the handle on her cart tighter, eyeballing the chips he picked up along with the dip. "What I meant to say is no they didn't, but the more the merrier!" Wow that sounded lame, she chastised herself, looking down at the food in the cart wondering if she had enough since Jon wasn't a small man by any means.

"Must've slipped their minds." He drawled, taking in her outfit. She was definitely dressed for the weather and that color suited her, though her cheeks were also looking a little rosy at the moment. Jon noted her tone of voice and knew she was having issues, frowning slightly. "Cher, if this is... if you don't want me there..." If it was really that weird being around him, then he'd give her space, knowing she was definitely not one of those teenagers who had grown up fast and were practically adults in everything except legalities.

"No!" Cheria hadn't meant it to come out in a small shout and reached out to touch his arm, the muscles rippling beneath her touch. "I do want you there. Why wouldn't I?" Her voice had lowered to a smooth caress, emerald eyes alight at the thought of spending time outside of the office with Jon. "I will tell you though," She reached over to pluck the chips out of his cart, not realizing her tank top had rode up her abdomen a little to show off just a hint of tanned skin beneath and set them back on the shelf. "Those aren't the kind you buy for a cookout." It made her wonder how Jon knew her Aunt and Uncle to the point where they would invite him over for dinner. "How about we finish our shopping together and head over? Unless you have other plans besides the cookout tonight?"

His plans for the night now involved a shower and a bottle of lube because Jon wasn't about to keep on chafing his hand. He grabbed his chips and put them back, cocking an eyebrow at her when she just went to remove them again. Her top yet again rode up and revealed her tanned stomach and he reached out, gently placing a hand on Cheria's side, feeling bare skin, to stop her.

"Woman... I _like_ those." Jon pointed to the other bags he had picked out. He remembered Roy eating them a lot. "Those are for the cookout." Jon stepped away from her, his hand slowly moving away. "So, what's next on our list?"

Her side felt like it was seared permanently from his touch, skin on skin contact, for that brief moment anyway. Cheria had to snap back to reality and looked down at her list, trying to focus on it instead of the man standing next to her resting his chin on her shoulder. Once again, his hand rested on her side while reading the list and Cheria could feel his hot breath puffing on her neck. All she had to do was turn her head and their lips would connect again, that raw animalistic lust slowly beginning to overtake her.

"Hot dogs…and ketchup. Need buns too." She murmured, wondering if Jon would be crazy enough to hold her the way he was throughout the very local and busy grocery store.

Freezer section meant cold air and that's exactly what Cheria needed at the moment was a blast of it to cool her raging body down. She definitely had buns and those shorts were accenting them perfectly. Jon could not stop himself from eyeballing her pert backside as Cheria headed for the freezer section. He had to wonder if she knew she was driving him crazy, the way her hips gently swayed from side to side. No... Cheria wasn't doing it on purpose; she seemed fairly innocent and he felt a momentary twinge of disgust wash over him. Jon was lusting after a minor; what the hell was wrong with him? When she opened a freezer door and stood there for a moment, he did a very man thing and let his eyes drop to the front of her tank top.

"Alright, now the buns and Aunt Betty wanted to make a sherbet punch, so I need to remember to get that."

Cheria jogged to the other side of the freezer section where the bread was located, not realizing her perky breasts slightly bounced with every step she took. Not to mention her backside in the shorts moved as well. She set the bread in the cart and then went for the sherbet while Jon grabbed a few more things himself. They finally headed to the checkout line, Jon taking one and Cheria the other, each paying for their items. Once he helped her load the groceries in the trunk of her car, she went to slide behind the wheel of her vehicle only for Jon to stop her.

"What are you doing?" Cheria blinked, feeling him pull her toward his truck until she was trapped against the bed of it, their bodies once again pressed together. "Jon…" If they were caught, it would be all over and Cheria didn't want Jon going to jail because of her.

"You're driving me crazy, Cher."

Well, crazier. He had always been a little off his rocker and, so far, all she had done was shove him right the hell out of the damn thing. Watching her do her shopping, not minding anything as she ran here and there... it was visual torture. It was like there were big flashing signs that said **DON'T TOUCH** all over her and all Jon wanted to do was break that rule. Cheria wanted him just as much as he wanted her and he could see it swimming in her emerald eyes.

"You want me."

What if someone saw them she went to school with? Cheria would never live it down! It didn't matter what she wanted; this was wrong on all levels and they both could get in a lot of trouble. What had changed in the span of a few minutes shopping together that made Jon lose all sense of rationality? They'd been good for the past month and now they were slipping again, crossing lines that should never be touched. Cheria realized she had to get her vocal cords to work before something happened between them, like another toe-curling kiss.

"It doesn't matter if I do or not. It can't happen." As much as it pained her to say, Cheria knew it was the right thing to do, especially when Jon had been invited over for a cookout at her house. "Please don't make this any harder than it already is."

"Yet." He corrected her swiftly.

This past month had been hell, but now that Jon knew she wanted him, he was willing to wait to explore this connection. It was erroneous in every way possible. She was a minor and still in high school. He knew her family and Cheria worked for him. Not to mention she was doubly inexperienced. None of it mattered.

"I got no problem waiting, darlin'."

Her breath hitched when he uttered the word 'yet', insides turning to complete mush and Jon hadn't made a move to step away from her. Cheria knew what he meant by saying he'd wait and it made her wonder why. He could have any woman in Tampa – on the planet for that matter – and he was willing to wait until she turned 18. It baffled her, made her head foggy, especially with him being this close to her. The determination in his pale blues forced her 'why' question to fly right out of her head. There was no changing Jon's mind, no matter what she said. Prom was coming up in another month and she didn't have a date for it; taking Jon couldn't happen without speculation, unless they went as friends. Maybe they could pass it off that way. Cheria had officially lost her mind, especially when she reached up to stroke his face tenderly with the back of her hand. How was she supposed to survive until her birthday being around this man, knowing he wanted her as much as she wanted him? And more importantly, could she wait it out or end up caving before her 18th birthday?

"Only if that's what you truly want."

Jon felt a wave of relief course through him at her words. He had known she wanted him, but also knew he was arrogant in assuming she would wait. Jon would be the first to admit, to himself only, that he had half expected her to slap the taste out of his mouth. This was a much better alternative and a slow smirk spread across his lips as he caught her hand, pulling it from his face. He pressed a kiss against her palm, his eyes meeting hers and felt what had to be a purr practically rumbling from his chest, feeling very satisfied right now.

"We should go, Cher. Before your Uncle and Aunt start to worry about you."

Also, before he did something totally inappropriate in this parking lot.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Cheria was on her best behavior at the cookout, helping Aunt Betty cook while Jon and Uncle Roy talked about sports. Roy was a huge sports fanatic, always having his nose stuck in the television whenever he wasn't working. Aunt Betty was a fan too, but not nearly as obsessed as her husband. Cheria kept glancing over at Jon, their eyes locking every couple minutes for brief seconds and it was enough to make her melt. Somehow, Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty didn't notice those sharing glances. Her curiosity was peaked, wondering what the connection was between her family and Jonathan Good. Truthfully, Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty usually kept to themselves and only trusted a handful of people. Apparently, Jon was one of them, though Cheria hadn't heard of him until Uncle Roy sent her to his shop to have her transmission fixed. Jon and Joe had done a little more than fix it and every time she stepped behind the wheel, Cheria thought of only Jon since he was the miracle mechanic. Now that she had Aunt Betty alone, Cheria decided to ask some questions to try to get to know Jon better without being too inquisitive.

"So, how do you and Uncle Roy know Jon, Auntie?" She asked while mixing the pasta salad with the cut up vegetables and Italian dressing.

"Oh dear, we've known Jon since he was a young boy." Aunt Betty informed her niece with a soft smile, checking the baked potatoes in the oven. "You know how you were born in Cincinnati?"

"Yes."

"So was he." Aunt Betty glanced over at Jon, a sad look coming over her eyes at the thought of what he went through. "We think of him as a son, honestly."

"So why haven't you told me about him? I mean, I've lived with you guys since I was a baby, right?"

"Just never came up, dear. I'm sorry, we weren't keeping it from you intentionally; it just never came up. And I don't know about your Uncle, but I'm glad you're working for that sweet young man. He really does have a heart of gold." Aunt Betty handed over the pan of biscuits. "Pop them in for me, Cheri."

Cheria wanted to question Aunt Betty about how they saved Jon from Cincinnati, but it wasn't her business. It was Jon's story to tell, if it ever came up between them. So far, there was too much sexual tension and lust between her and Jon to dwell up their pasts with each other. Cheria didn't remember anything from Cincinnati since she'd been taken away from her mother as a baby to live with her Aunt and Uncle. Granted, her mother called every once in a while, but so far it'd been 3 months since the last call and Cheria was perfectly fine with that.

"It amazes me that little girl used to be that tiny baby."

Jon had seen Cheria a handful of times in his life; all of them when she was an infant and he had been much younger, though he had lost his own innocence a very long time ago. He knew he had sort of fallen out of touch with Roy and Betty over the years, but they had had their own lives to live and Cheria to raise. Honestly, Jon had been focusing on becoming the type of man Roy had always thought he could be. Well, Roy would probably barbecue his ass right here and now if he knew half of what was going on in Jon's head when it came to his niece.

"Yeah, hard to believe 18 years is just on the horizon." Uncle Roy murmured while sipping a beer with Jon, leaning back into the chair. "She's quite the gem and I know she's gonna go far in this world." Then he eyed Jon, seeing the man watching Cheria cook and clapped a hand on Jon's shoulder with a soft smile. "I wanna say thank you for hirin' her. She loved the flower shop, but…she likes workin' at your place more. I'm proud of you, boy. You've really done somethin' with your life."

Jon turned his attention back to Roy and flashed the older man a wide grin. The comment about being proud caused both pleasure and a hint of guilt to wash over him. He owed practically everything to Roy and Betty. Without them, he would be living on the streets and...Jon wouldn't think about any of that, clearing it away.

"Hell Roy, I'm just passing on the kindness you paid me. She's a good worker, picked everything up damn quick. She's a good kid." That was about all that he could say without sounding overly attached or giving anything away. "Mind me asking how she came to live with you guys?"

Roy heaved a sigh and lowered his voice a little, not wanting Cheria overhearing what he was about to tell Jon. "Betty's sister was in a bad way. Cheri doesn't know about it, only that she came to live with us because her mother requested it. What she doesn't know is she was taken by child protective services and placed with us against her mother's wishes. Best thing that could've happened to her, honestly. She's more than just our niece; we think of her as a daughter and that'll never change. She's the best thing that happened to us, saved our marriage in a way too. And I'll do anything, no matter what, to ensure her happiness." He was passionate when speaking about Cheria, meaning every word he said and took another swig of beer. "You both were dealt a shitty hand of cards and I wish we could've done more for you, son. Just glad you turned out good and didn't end up like your own mother."

His own mother had been a professional whore and drug user. Jon could easily imagine his own life turning into something like hers. He had definitely been on that path before Roy and Betty literally rescued him from his own personal hell and he nodded, pleased they had rescued Cheria as well. Jon didn't know her backstory and doubted Roy was going to fill him in on it in depth. They both had overcome their pasts with the help of these people. Angels did indeed walk the earth.

"I had some pretty positive influences guiding me along, Roy." Jon toasted Roy with his beer before draining it, nearly choking when Roy slapped his back good-naturedly. "Thanks, man..." He gasped, wiping at his chin.

"Nice one, Uncle Roy." Cheria giggled, walking in with a tray of bacon wrapped smoked sausages and set it on the table for the men to nibble on. "Aunt Betty said dinner should be ready soon. Either of you need another beer?" She asked cordially, wrapped in one of Aunt Betty's aprons and still had her burnt orange outfit on. There was no point changing since it was comfortable and hot in the kitchen while cooking.

"Bring us two more beers, sweet pea."

"Coming right up." Cheria did her best not to glance Jon's way, but she could feel his eyes following her back to the kitchen and suddenly wanted to dunk her head in an ice bath.

"You're looking a little flushed, sweetheart." Betty observed, concern in her eyes. "You alright?"

"Fine, just…warm." That was sarcasm at its finest. She grabbed two beers out of the fridge and took a deep breath before heading back into the living room, handing Uncle Roy his and then moved to Jon. "Here you go, Jon."

"Thanks, Cher."

His fingers brushed hers as he took the bottle from her, popping the lid off it and took a long swallow, his eyes locked with hers. It took a lot to get a big guy like him drunk, or even buzzing, and Jon was nowhere near close to either of those marks. Not that he planned on drinking too much more; he still had to drive. The fact Cheria wore an apron made him smile slightly. Little woman could cook and some forbidden images came to mind.

"And that's game!" His attention was drawn back to the TV by Roy hooting and hollering.

Air – she needed air, even if it was humid as hell outside. Cheria pushed open the sliding glass door that lead to the lanai to check on the barbequed steaks, ribs and chicken, flipping them. Aunt Betty made sure to teach her everything she could about cooking, passing down recipes and whatnot. They never had children of their own, so Cheria was it. Her eyes closed briefly, inhaling the food and Jon-free air…until the waft of cigarette smoke filled her nostrils. Cheria knew who joined her out on the lanai and figured Uncle Roy was talking to Aunt Betty about something, giving Jon the opportunity to step out for a quick smoke. She pretended not to notice he was out there with her and continued flipping the food on the grill, her hand tingling from when their fingertips touched.

Jon needed that cigarette. He tried not to smoke too much when around people who didn't, simply because he wasn't rude. Then there was the fact Roy had quit all but his cigars. He wasn't about to ruin that; Betty might take a belt to his hide or something. Sweet as could be, Betty was, but like all wives and mothers, she had a streak that would terrify anybody.

"Smells good, Cher." Jon walked up behind her, though did maintain a distance -she was cooking over an open flame after all- to look down over her shoulder. "Looks good too."

Closing the grill and setting the tongs down, Cheria turned around to reluctantly face him, her mouth turning dry as a desert. "Yeah it does." She wasn't referring to the food, reaching out to subtly slide her hand down this white beater covered abdomen. Just another taste, that's all Cheria wanted and bunched the material of his beater a little in her hand near the belt through his jeans. "Come with me."

Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty wouldn't come check on them if they saw her walking the yard with Jon. Showing him the house and especially Aunt Betty's garden that was hidden by bushy tall hedges. Once they disappeared behind one, Cheria took Jon's cigarette and flicked it in the grass before reaching up to bring his mouth down on hers. Innocent may not have been the right word entirely; this little minx was out to destroy him and Jon's mind was completely blown by her boldness. When she had fisted his beater, dangerously close to parts neither of them had any business thinking about, most of his rational thought processes had flown the coup. Knowing the hedge would keep them from being seen, he wrapped his strong arms around her lithe frame, crushing her against him as he took what she definitely offered this time.

Cheria automatically parted her lips for him and Jon caressed his tongue against hers, tasting her again. It was better than he had remembered. It was a bold move on Cheria's part, never one to make the first move on anything, but Jon's scent and being close to her was too much to resist. Her fingers buried in his haphazard curly auburn blonde hair while he held her tightly against his muscular body and Cheria didn't want to be anywhere else. They could go on with the cookout without them for all she cared. Cheria finally pulled back when she needed oxygen to breathe and broke the kiss, standing on her bare tiptoes to somewhat reach his 6'4 height.

"Okay – okay wait a minute…" Cheria took a few deep breaths to try slowing her racing heart and raging body, sliding her tongue across her top lip. "I-I don't know what came over me." She refused to say she was sorry for kissing him, not regretting it for a single second. "You're the devil, aren't you?"

"Sin incarnate, Cher." He rumbled, brushing his lips against her forehead before pulling back, smirking down at her. "You strike me as the kind of girl who would dance with the devil in the pale moonlight." For all Cheria's inexperience, her sort of questionable innocence, there was a fire inside of her and she had just acted on it without thinking. Jon had enjoyed it immensely; that kiss had been breathtaking and he wondered what other surprises she had in store for him. "We best get back, darlin'..." Jon glanced back the way they had come, feeling reluctant. "Before I show you just how evil I can be."

Cheria shivered, wondering what he meant by that and nodded, also averse to head back. "We have to talk about this." Kissing was fine, she supposed, since it wasn't against the law. Sex was until she turned 18, but not kissing and touching…maybe even a little exploration. "Not here, but…soon." They could wait a little longer. Cheria kissed him again and squeaked softly against his mouth when Jon cupped two handfuls of her cotton short covered backside. "Okay we REALLY should head back now." She mumbled when she felt something hard press against the inside of her thigh, emerald eyes widening in wonder.

Jon seen the look in her eyes and glanced down, simpering slightly. She was a virgin; he was going to fix that. Not tonight, but soon enough and his cock practically jumped at the thought. "We'll talk, Cher." He growled softly, finally reluctantly letting her go and stepping away before he did something that embarrassed them both. Jon reached down to adjust himself, glad for the tight jeans yet hating them at the same time. She was going to give him a permanent erection at this rate. "Go." He ordered, eyes darkening as he took her in, her swollen lips, how her beautiful emerald orbs were swirling with both confusion and desire. "Before I change both our minds." The grass looked very inviting.

"There you are! We were about to send out the search party after you guys!" Roy crowed once his niece walked back inside the house with Jon following a few moments later. "Admirin' my wife's garden, boy?"

"Oh leave them alone, Roy." Betty chastised, seeing the redness of her niece's cheeks and chuckled, sending her to set the table. "Jonathan, would you mind setting this on the table for me?" She always referred to him by his full birth name, one of the only people on the planet to get away with it.

Keeping her eyes fixated on the table instead of the man putting food on it, Cheria did 4 place settings and sucked in a sharp breath when Jon brushed against her from behind. He was going to be the death of her; she simply knew it. Cheria shot him a playful secretive glare, finishing setting the table and proceeded to help Aunt Betty with the rest of the food.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"The garden was very beautiful, Roy." Jon complimented when Roy asked about the flowers, trying to remember if he had even seen anything besides a hedge and sweet Cheria. No, not that he could recall. "Smelled delicious." He added, right in time for Cheria to emerge, carrying a serving bowl of something that did indeed smell delightful. When she met his eyes, he winked at her, reaching out to steady the bowl when it seemed like she might drop it. "Careful, Cheri, don't want to get burned, do you?"

"No, I don't. Thank you." She murmured, pulling away from him to set the steaming bowl on the table. It was a cheese dip with ripped bread on the tray surrounding it. An appetizer, at best. "Here, taste it."

Cheria dipped a piece of bread in the dip and held it up to Jon's mouth, a smirk curving her lips when he engulfed it licking her fingers. Aunt Betty had called Uncle Roy outside to remove the steak, ribs and chicken from the grill, so it gave Jon and Cheria a brief moment alone. Cheria took full advantage of the moment since Jon enjoyed teasing her.

"If we don't behave ourselves, they'll figure out what's going on."

Pulling her fingers out of his mouth, she quickly leaned up to swipe a drop of cheese from the corner of it and walked away just as Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty came back inside. If he could be evil, so could she. Jon nearly face palmed himself at that. Warning him and then playing with fire that way... she was something else, a spitfire for sure. One appetite was replaced with another as the scent of the steak, ribs and chicken reached him, causing his stomach to growl loudly. Jon eyeballed the platter of ribs, wondering just what the rest of them were planning on eating. He was a big man with even bigger appetites. Glancing over at Cheria, Jon already considered her to be his dessert and licked his lips again. He was starving.

Surprisingly, they made it through dinner without any sexual innuendos or touches, sitting next to each other. Cheria was sure Jon would try to squeeze her knee or thigh, something to drive her as crazy as she'd apparently made him. Then again, the food was mouthwatering and nobody hardly said anything, just the occasional sound of forks scraping against the plates and audible groans of satisfaction. Once everyone was finished eating, dessert included, Cheria ordered her Aunt to relax, offering to clean up the kitchen. It was no surprise when Jon joined her moments later; Cheria handed him a towel to dry the dishes she washed, the hot water she cleaned the dishes in not doing anything to quell the raging fires inside of her body Jon caused.

"You don't have to help, you know. You are a guest." Cheria pointed out, handing over a washed plate and cracked a small smile, her hair still up in the sloppy bun on top of her head.

"It's the least I can do; you and Betty did cook." He replied good-naturedly, not in the mood to aggressively flirt.

This was also nice, just spending time with Cheria, something he would have to get used to if they were really going to do this waiting thing. Jon had to condition himself to be around her without wanting to do nothing more than pin her to a wall and screw her until both saw stars and felt fireworks explode from their hearts. She washed, he rinsed and dried, putting things away easily. Roy and Betty hadn't really changed the kitchen all that much over the years.

"Aunt Betty told me a little about how they helped you when you were younger." Cheria admitted while washing the silverware, one at a time to make sure all the food was off. She wasn't the best dishwasher in the world, nothing like Aunt Betty, and had to make sure she did a thorough job. "She didn't tell me why they helped you, only that it was necessary." Giving Jon a sideway glance, Cheria noticed the slight strain in his handsome face and frowned thoughtfully. They had to get to know each other better, right? "Sorry, if you don't wanna talk about it, that's fine. Hell, my mother was a drug addict and street prostitute – still is from what I've gathered. Can't be any worse than that." She really had no idea the can of worms she just opened with that statement.

"Actually, that sounds just like my own mother." He said flatly, still able to recall his childhood quite well, up until Betty and Roy had pulled him out of the fire. Jon had been a young teen and he wouldn't venture down that road. There would be no trips down memory lane for him. "You're lucky to have them."

That was his effective way of closing the door on that conversation. Anything but talking about his past and mother, he was fine with, at least for now. If they got to know each other better, in a sense that wasn't carnal, then sure, he'd eventually tell her, but for now... no point in scaring her off. Cheria received the message loud and clear, feeling guilty for bringing up a sore subject to Jon when it really was none of her business. She'd been nosy after talking to Aunt Betty earlier and let her curiosity get the better of her. Wouldn't happen again. They talked about safe subjects like movies, music, favorite foods, which Jon claimed was Betty's cooking. Not that Cheria blamed him; her Aunt was a phenomenal chef and could make anything. It turned out they enjoyed a lot of the same thing, their music tastes being the only small difference. Cheria was into mostly country and R&amp;B while Jon listened to anything that sounded good, the majority being classic rock and blues. He enjoyed any movie with action and blowing stuff up, not a huge surprise to Cheria.

Thankfully, neither of them liked horror movies and that was a huge relief to her. The last thing she wanted to do was watch a scary movie with him and jump like a scared little girl. It was bad enough she was still a minor and they had briefly made out with each other a few times. Jon had learned quite a bit from what was a relatively short amount of time with Cheria. They saw each other at work frequently, but between trying to maintain his distance from her and being in the workplace, they had kept their interactions mostly limited to business. Now that he knew what he did however, Jon could see himself talking to her more, though he was still going to have to keep the flames on a simmer. Cheria was intelligent, somewhat of a homebody -Betty's influence no doubt- and she definitely deserved better than the likes of him pursuing her. He wasn't surprised at all in her taste of music; she was young and that was what she had grown up with.

"You still thinking over the college thing?"

"I'm applying to the community college in Tampa after graduation. I won't start school until the fall, so that'll give me the summer to work and save money." Pay him back for her amazing renewed vehicle as well. "Thanks for the suggestion, I honestly wanted to give up on the college thing until you told me what you did."

Cheria reached over and squeezed his hand briefly before going back to washing dishes. She would put the food away after he left in case anyone wanted to nibble a little more. Uncle Roy was famous for doing that. Once they finished with the dishes and put them away, Cheria and Jon headed outside for some air so he could have an after dinner smoke, walking along the yard. If she was being honest, she could listen to this man talk all day about absolutely anything. Now that he had reminded himself that he wasn't a teenager and he could control his raging hormones, Jon was rather enjoying being in Cheria's company. His talks were usually with people he worked with, Joe mostly, and he didn't keep many close friends. He found himself almost rambling, latching onto whatever the silver haired beauty would give him and kept the ball rolling. Jon was also chain-smoking, just so he could have an excuse to be out here alone with her. Betty didn't approve of smoking and wished he would quit, berating him several times about it. Jon took it with a grain of salt, nodding and promised he would try, obviously not trying hard enough though.

"You don't want to work your whole summer away, Cher." He mused, glancing down at her. "I'm sure there's a lot you want to do besides be cooped up in a garage."

"I won't be. I'll work whatever hours you give me and the rest I'll take day-by-day." Her shy side had resurfaced and Cheria looked up at him while they sat in the grass, taking a chance to reach over touching his hand. "I'm hoping to spend time with you outside of work like this." Cheria admitted, feeling her cheeks flame up and pulled her hand away, instead wrapping her arms around her bent knees and resting her chin on top of them.

Why would she say something like that? Granted, Jon said he'd wait for her, but he had no idea what they meant or what he was getting himself into. It wasn't just the age factor that bothered her and made Cheria nervous about what was going on between them, what had already transpired.

"Only if you want, I mean…"

Considering she would be legal this summer, he definitely wouldn't mind monopolizing some of her time. "We can." Jon agreed, sprawling out on the soft grass with a sigh.

He had noticed what she had done with her hand and snorted, reaching over to pry her arms off herself and took her hand, lowering it back down to the grass in his. It was dark enough where Jon wouldn't overly worry and they would probably hear someone coming, though he doubted Roy or Betty would come looking. They'd probably holler, if anything. Then Jon had another thought that didn't set well with him at all. Was she scared of him? The last thing he wanted to do was frighten Cheria, pale blues looking over at her. Sometimes it seemed like she was scared and other times, the woman had brass balls.

"You afraid of me, Cher?" He asked inquisitively.

"Yes, but…not in the way you're probably thinking." Cheria looked down at their clasped hands and back up at him, those eyes of his drawing her in again. "I'm scared of how you make me feel." Did she come right out and say it or wait to see if Jon really meant when he claimed he'd wait for her? "I feel like throwing caution to the wind whenever I'm around you and I don't understand why. I guess that's the real question is why? Why do you want to wait for me when you can have anyone else in the Tampa area? I-I'm not experienced in the intimacy field and…everything I've done up to this point has been a definite first. It sounds stupid, I know. I don't know how else to explain it though."

"It doesn't sound stupid. I'm not going to lie; I want you and it concerns me how much." Jon admitted, knowing he was putting an awful lot of power in those little hands of hers with his confession. "I don't know the rhyme or reason behind it, there's just something about you... it's drawing me in. And I don't want just anyone in Tampa; I want _you_ and I'm willing to wait."

"See, every time you say that, I feel like butterflies are gonna explode out of my stomach. Again, stupid I know." Cheria reached up to remove the clip from her hair along with the tie, letting it once again cascade wildly all around her face and over her shoulders. "If you want me and you're willing to wait, then…what do we do in the meantime? Because I don't think I can wait until my birthday to touch," Her hand slid up his white beater again, fisting the material like earlier and pulled him closer to her. "And kiss you again." Uncle Roy was more than likely passed out in his chair with the football game blaring and Aunt Betty had already fallen asleep on the couch. The backyard was hidden by the large tall shrubs, so nobody else could see them except the sleeping people in the house. "We're in so much trouble, aren't we?"

"Tons of it." Jon whispered, suddenly suffering a serious case of dry mouth.

Giving into his desires, or at least some of them, and ignoring his intuitive screaming out the many reasons why he should not be doing this, Jon pulled her onto his lap, his hands moving to help guide her legs around his muscular waist. The strength in his body lifting her with ease on his lap both unnerved and excited her at the same time. Cheria would have to get used to feeling the lump of his erection anytime she was around him until she was ready to move to the next step.

"I can't tell if you're a normal girl or some sort of witch sent to toy with me, Cher... you're driving me crazy." He murmured, lips fluttering against hers before claiming her mouth fully. 

"Could say the same about you." She mumbled against his mouth, enjoying the taste of his tongue yet again and shifted a little on his lap, a low groan from him escaping. "You know we could get caught at any second out here…" She breathed out while Jon teased her jaw and neck, being careful not to leave any marks…for now.

They could care less who caught them at the moment, both completely engrossed in each other. Nightfall came, blanketing them both in darkness of the backyard and Cheria lost track of time, enjoying being with Jon. The cool grass felt wonderful against her heated skin when Jon rolled them over to where he was on top, hovering and claiming her swollen lips yet again. She took his hand and slid it under her top until it rested just below her bra covered breasts. Touching, feeling, exploring and kissing were up for grabs – basically anything except actual sex.

"Touch me…"

Jon groaned a low harsh sound of a man who had been dying in a desert and been brought to a well he could not drink from. That's exactly what Cheria was, an oasis he couldn't touch. Jon knew this little touch and taste would do nothing except tempt him further. He wouldn't go beneath that burnt orange top. Not knowing the limit of his patience and control, Jon had never had to be so patient before in his life, having a feeling tonight they would be found and tested to the max.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"So, I have a confession to make."

"Okay…" Monique raised a brow at her best friend while they walked down the hallway toward their next class, books and supplies in hand. "You've been distracted lately, finally ready to talk about it?"

Nodding and taking Monique's hand, Cheria lead her into the nearest girl's bathroom, locking the door behind her. They made sure nobody else was in the stalls first, kicking each of them open for extra precaution. "You can't tell anyone – NOT A SOUL – what I'm about to confess, alright? If you do, I'll never speak to you again."

Frowning, Monique saw the urgency in her friend's emerald eyes and took both of Cheria's hands, squeezing them gently. "You can tell me anything, sweetie, you know that. Now what's going on?"

"I'm in love…and it's complicated and messy and…illegal until I turn 18."

"Cheri…"

Tears flooded her eyes and spilled down her cheeks, forcing Cheria to break her hold on Monique's hands to wipe them away. "It's my boss. His name is Jon and…for the past 2 months we've been seeing each other, I guess. Nothing sexual, just touching, feeling, kissing and I feel like I'm gonna explode whenever I'm with him. It scares the hell out of me because I'm a virgin and I'm still a minor and what if…what if we can't hold out until I do turn 18? I don't want him getting into trouble. Moni, you have to tell me what to do. Anything except leave him because I won't. I'm in love with him and there's no changing it."

It took Monique several long moments for that confession to sink in and when it did, she felt like she had been socked in the stomach. She was concerned, obviously, for her friend. She wanted to ask about this guy. Who was he other than Cheria's boss? Was he pressuring her friend, using her? Making her think it was love? Monique saw the desperation in Cheria's emerald eyes and bit her lower lip. Cheria really was in love with the guy.

"You have to wait Cheri." She said quietly, not sure what else to say. "If you don't and you get caught..." Monique took a deep breath and shook her head. "You know what could happen. 17 will get him 10."

"I know, it's just so frustrating. And yes he's older than me and I shouldn't be screwing around with my boss, but…I can't help it. There's this…raw intense connection that I can't ignore. I tried - I tried pushing him away and it didn't work." Cheria leaned back against the sink, brows furrowed together with her eyes glued to the floor. "Prom is coming up and I honestly don't want to go because I can't take the guy I'm with. It just sucks. And yes, I'm waiting, Moni. I'm scared to death of sex, you know that. I guess the only way I'll go to Prom is alone, if I decide to go." Cheria hadn't discussed Prom with Jon yet and didn't know if she would bring it up. "Anyway, I just had to get that off my chest and tell someone since I've kept this bottled up for 2 months."

Monique was hung up on the fact Cheria tried pushing him away and it didn't work. "Pushing him away didn't work because... you just can't stay away or he…forced the issue?" She asked hesitantly, not wanting to upset her friend, but at the same time, they were best friends. They were honest with each other, and they might've said things that upset each other, but they'd get over it. "And come to Prom with me. I don't have a date either." She had already purchased the tickets and would not let them go to waste.

"No forcing was needed. He fixed my car; I hugged and kissed his cheek and we ended up kissing. The second time was me...when he came over a month ago for a cookout Auntie and Uncle had. They know him personally, I guess, from his childhood. He was born in Cincinnati just like me and brought here, but I don't know the details. Anyway…" Cheria took a deep breath and turned the water on in the sink to splash her face, dabbing it with a towel. "And you have a date." She smiled at the reflection staring back at her and Monique, sending her a wink. "Just remember to wear something sexy for me."

As much as Monique hated to admit it, this little thing Cheria had going with her boss sounded exciting. Things that weren't allowed usually were though and she smirked at Cheria's demand. "I'll wear something sexy for you," She paused teasingly. "Stubble." Monique stroked her chin thoughtfully and blinked when she water splashed at her, laughing. "I got your back, Cheri, you know I do. But if... if things go wrong, don't be afraid to ask for help or get out, okay?"

There would be zero need to get away from Jon or asking for help because every time they were together was amazing. Just talking, hanging out, making out, whatever they wanted to do besides getting fully naked and having sex. "Thanks, Moni. Just so you know, he does have a stud for an employee and friend named Joe. A Samoan monster with muscles that go on for miles and a voice that would melt your panties right off your body. I think you two should meet." Laughing at Monique's sudden flushed face, Cheria hugged her friend and they walked out of the bathroom to head to class, which they were incredibly late for.

* * *

"Man, this thing is a piece of shit. Why do you even bother?"

"Because Monica has three kids, no man and a shit job. She needs this ride, bro."

Joe shook his head. Jon had a bleeding heart sometimes, he just didn't like to always show it. Though one day it would cost him his business. "We got to take on some clients who pay and not on a schedule."

Jon knew as harsh as his friend could be, he also had a soft spot, usually when it came to kids so he didn't take the jibe too personally. "Or we could just register ourselves as a charity."

"Yeah, a charity." Joe snorted, wiping his hands off on a shop rag. "That's exactly what we are. Change of topic."

Jon nodded, only half paying attention as he worked.

"What's her name?"

Jon actually almost said it too, but managed to shut himself up, eyeballing his Samoan friend. "Don't know what you're talking about."

* * *

"Oh my god, that's absolutely gorgeous on you!"

"Really?" Cheria looked in the mirror doubtfully, smoothing the material down her thighs and adjusted the spaghetti straps. "I can't believe Prom is just a few weeks away, date."

Monique chuckled, wearing a hot little red number that went to her knees, spaghetti strapped and had slides up both sides, black embroidery spirals on the first half of the dress, mostly the bosom area. "And as your date, I'm telling you that dress is perfect. You won't find anything better."

"It's a little expensive though…" Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy told her to get the dress she wanted, handing over one of their credit cards, but due to having a job, Cheria planned on paying for it herself. "I really have to think about my upcoming payment on the car…"

"Why don't we get changed, purchase our dresses and go talk to your man? I'm sure he'll let you slide by on a payment this once." Prom only came twice in someone's lifetime and this was their final year in school before heading off to college. "Come on, I'll go with you." When Cheria still looked hesitant, especially after mention of 'Prom' and 'your man' in the same sentence, Monique felt bad since Cheria couldn't bring Jon without consequences and breaking the rules. "You can introduce me to this hot Samoan guy, okay?" She tried to lighten her own mood, pretty sure an older guy who was a grease monkey would not be her cup of tea at all.

Cheria didn't want to do this. The whole drive over to the shop had her stomach in knots. She'd taken the day off to go dress shopping for Prom and didn't tell Jon the reasoning, just that she had something important to do. Jon didn't mind, telling her to have fun and if she needed anything to call him. They exchanged numbers her second night on the job and after the heavy make out session at the cookout –Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy were still miraculously oblivious- and blew each other's phones up during the day when they had time with text messages. Some of them were dirty and teasing, others cute and flirtatious. She enjoyed every message Jon sent her, especially the dirty ones and always fired ones back at him that she was sure drove him to distraction.

"Okay this is it." Cheria announced, parking her car and stepped out, leaving her dress behind to walk into the shop with Monique.

It looked like any other garage, but this was definitely out of Monique's way, so more than likely she would never have come here if not for Cheria. She was well aware how tense her friend was and didn't get what the big deal was. Yes, it wasn't the best scenario and awkward as hell, but she could never take a 30 year old man to Prom. It was impossible. If he was as awesome as Monique guessed, from what she'd heard anyway, Jon would understand.

"Holy... that's not him, right?" It couldn't be because the man was a tall monstrous Samoan.

Joe was at the desk, enjoying his lunch and playing solitaire on the computer. He cocked a thick black brow when he spotted Cheria walk through the door with one of her friends. "Didn't think you worked today, kid." He said after swallowing his bite of sandwich.

"I don't, but I had to talk to Jon for a minute. Is he here?" Cheria asked, trying to sound as professional as possible and walked up to the desk she normally sat behind. "By the way, this is my best friend Monique Jenkins. Moni, this is Joe Anoa'i."

Smiling at Cheria's friend, Joe tossed a thumb over his shoulder toward the garage door. "He's in the back working on a car. Go for it, but your friend can't go. Company policy."

"Go on, I'll be fine." Monique assured Cheria, squeezing her shoulder and smiled shyly in Joe's direction.

"Thanks, big man."

Cheria pushed the door open and could hear music blasting throughout the garage, emerald eyes immediately landing on the man who had stolen her heart the past 2 months. He currently had a saw in his hand, head disappeared beneath the hood with a pair of safety glasses over his eyes, a black bandana on his head. Waiting until Jon finished with the saw and set it down, Cheria peeked under the hood with a shy smile, seeing his pale blues widen at the sight of her.

"Mind if I talk to you for a second? I know you're busy, boss."

Of all the people to see today, Cheria had not been on that list. He knew she was doing something today with a friend, but... while texting her was always fun, Jon had figured on leaving Cheria alone so she could spend time with her friend. They had done enough texting lately for him to justify upgrading his cell phone plan to unlimited.

"Hey Cher," He grinned, sliding out from under the car and stood up, removing his safety goggles. "Didn't expect you in today." Not that Jon wasn't glad to see her.

"I know, but this is important and it couldn't wait until tomorrow."

Cheria became nervous, wondering if this was a good idea considering she had promised to pay back the debt to Jon for fixing her car. He had a business to run and, if money wasn't brought in, it would fail. This wouldn't be a wise business decision on his part, especially with one of his employees.

"I have a favor to ask. I know you've done a lot for me and I appreciate everything. The reason I needed the day off today was…I went shopping with my friend, who is also my date for the Prom. She's my best friend, before you ask. I found a dress, but it was a little on the pricey side, so I was hoping instead of taking this month's payment for my car out of this check, if you could possibly do it my next one. I hate asking this, but I didn't want Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy paying for a dress I'll only wear once in my lifetime. If you can't do it, I understand."

Jon cocked his head to the side, studying her. Prom was a big deal, especially senior year and he got that. He had gone to his, renting a tux and bailed early when his date got too annoying. "How much is it?" He asked, somehow not surprised when she pinched her lips together and whistled. "That pricey eh, Cher?" Jon stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I can do it." She deserved something nice, struggling to pay off all this stuff without help and trying to save for college. Cheria deserved a break. "I don't suppose you'd let me pay for it, would you?" If not, there were other ways around that.

"If I won't let my loving Aunt and Uncle pay for it, what makes you think I'll let you?" Cheria retorted softly, stepping up to him with arms folded in front of her chest. "I have the money for the dress, just not my payment for my car until my next check."

It was sweet of him to offer, but Cheria couldn't possibly let him buy her dress after everything else he'd done for her lately. She could see the resistance in his eyes again and smiled, reaching up to brush a stray curl from Jon's forehead before letting her fingers slide down the side of his face to his jaw. The scruff was a little thicker than normal, but Cheria wasn't complaining a bit, enjoying the feeling of it scratching her fingertips.

"Wish I could bring you to Prom, but luckily Monique is braving it with me. I won't stay long; she's the only reason why I'm going."

"It's what, your last prom? Stay late, have fun and no drinking, darlin'." Jon teased, perfectly at ease at the fact, even though she had said no, he was still going to manage a way to pay for her dress or the car payment. He had been nice and asked first. Now, Jon had the perfect way of doing it, his pale blue eyes lighting up. "Your date here? Why don't you introduce us?" He suggested, glancing towards the office.

"Sure, alright."

Cheria wanted to spend the majority of the night of her senior Prom with Jon, but he was hell bent on making her enjoy herself. Opening the door, Cheria noticed Joe and Monique were in the middle of a discussion. Monique's cheeks were cherry red and Joe had a Cheshire grin on his face that stretched a mile long.

"Umm are we interrupting something?" She asked coyly, eyeballing her flamed-face best friend and felt Jon standing right behind her, trying not to laugh. "Jonathan Good, this is Monique Jenkins, my best friend and partner in crime. Moni, this is Jon, my boss."

She sincerely hoped Monique didn't mention anything about her and Jon dating considering the woman swore her to secrecy.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Monique didn't say anything, though she wouldn't lie, giving him a quick, hopefully discreet, inspection. He was handsome. Not her type, but cute in a devilish way. She could see why Cheria had the hots for him. Joe was... more her flavor, though he was also much older and, while maybe flirting was all right, Monique doubted he would take it any farther. She was jail bait.

"So you're the hard ass."

Jon began laughing, having seen the spark of mischief in the girl's eyes. "That's me. You must be the date. Where's your beard?"

"I couldn't grow it out in time." She dead panned, liking Jon a bit more. Monique took his hand when offered and smiled, stepping back to lean into Cheria. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."

"You already called me hard ass, no need to add anymore insult. Just Jon, please."

Joe shook his head, trying not to laugh.

"You know you're my #1, sweets." Cheria wrapped an arm around Monique's shoulders the same time her friend did, both of them holding each other batting eyelashes playfully. "And I know I'm your #1."

Monique snorted, rolling her eyes. "I don't know about that…"

"Whatever, that's why you asked me to be your date to Prom."

"Like there's anything better to do in this stupid town?"

Monique had a point there. "Anyway, we should go so we don't take up any more of these gentlemen's time." Jon had met her 'date' for Prom; Monique had been embarrassed by Joe for whatever reason and it was time to head out so they could get back to work.

"What's the rush, kid? We're on a break."

Cheria could've killed Joe.

Jon had not missed that look that crossed Cheria's face and smirked, perching himself on the edge of the desk and folded his arms over his chest. "Got to do the whole prom thing, ladies? Nails done, hair, that sort of thing?"

Monique almost said 'and panty shopping', but refrained. She didn't need another wisecrack from Joe. Cheria had not been lying about the super-hot Samoan guy. "I hope you don't expect me to rent you a limo. I'm a cheap date." She joked.

"What the hell do we need a limo for when we have perfectly reliable vehicles? I'll even drive since mine was recently fixed." Cheria winked in Jon's direction blatantly, looking down at her nails that looked a bit rough. She hadn't had them done in weeks. "And you're not cheap, you're just…smart." That was the best she could come up with given Jon was standing mere feet from her. He always made Cheria's brain turn to mush, which both irritated and enticed her at the same time.

"Hell, I didn't have a limo either. Just picked my date up and…Come to think of it, we never did make it inside the building that night…" Joe stroked his goatee thoughtfully, recalling that evening with a hint of mischief in his twinkling grey eyes.

NOW Monique was in hell. "W-We should get going…"

Neither Jon nor Joe had missed the way Cheria had peeked at her nails, Jon feeling a bit like a jackass for the nail comment while Joe seemed thoughtful. He hadn't overly-cared for Prom because he didn't like dancing or being around stuck-up people. However, he had enjoyed his date being dolled up, the whole nine yards, even though she had never made it into the dance room. Women liked that kind of thing.

"You know, we have a client down the street, Asian chick, runs one of those nail joints…"

Jon cottoned onto Joe's train of thought. "Mrs. Woo?"

She tended to pay them with money, sure, but also delicious Oriental food. For some reason, she insisted on telling them they could have half off her shop's services. Obviously, they didn't need since they were men. What they failed to realize was men enjoyed the occasional pedicure and foot massage it came with.

"Hey, we have a serious discount there, if you girls want to go."

"A discount that we've had for a year and not touched." Joe would never get a manicure or a pedicure. There were lines that just shouldn't be crossed.

"Really?" Monique beamed brightly, nudging Cheria with a big smile. "Did you hear that? Half off our nails! I'm so excited! Now if we could just find a hair stylist…"

"My sister Summer does hair. I could ask her to do your hair for a cheap price." Joe offered once again, leaning against the counter. He was youngest out of 5 siblings - an older brother and 3 older sisters. Being the baby had perks, especially when favors were called. "I was supposed to go over to her house tonight for dinner anyway. Can ask her then and have an answer tomorrow for you."

He was too good to be true. Monique flashed him a grateful smile, bouncing on the balls of her tennis shoe covered feet. "Now we just have to worry about makeup…"

What exactly was Jon trying to do here? Cheria could see the gears in his head spinning and, if he thought about getting them a limousine, she would not be happy with him at all. "Makeup can be managed by us. I don't wear a lot anyway." Now she just had to worry about finding some cheap jewelry to wear to accent the dress along with some shoes.

Indeed the gears were spinning, Cheria's suspicion was spot-on, but Jon also had limited personal funds. The limo was out of the question for sure; that would just be too hard to explain to any inquiring adults and would seem really odd. The nail salon, no problem; it wasn't like they could use the discount for themselves anyway. The hair had all been Joe. The big Samoan would never confess to it, but he let his sister trim his hair as well as do oil treatments. The only reason Jon knew about it was because Summer had told him and, like the good best friend he was, he had teased Joe mercilessly until Joe had 'accidentally' run over his foot. That hurt like a bitch and required a trip to the ER. Jon smiled at Cheria, wondering what she was thinking and if he was overstepping boundaries.

"You ladies got dresses yet?"

"Yes, we just bought them actually."

Jon cocked an eyebrow. He wanted to see Cheria in hers, wondering if he could get her to send him a picture via text or maybe have her model it for him when they were alone. Cheria looked guilty as sin standing there because she'd jumped the gun and bought the dress before asking Jon to bypass her payment on her car until her next check. She didn't know if he would turn down the favor or not and went with her gut instinct. Thankfully, he was fine with it, but she still felt horrible none the less for not waiting until AFTER they spoke to buy the dress.

"We have everything else we need. Don't worry, Joe." She smiled easily, refusing to tell Jon what all she still needed and prayed Monique cottoned onto what she was doing.

They didn't need to know all of the expenses going into Prom.

"Oh, don't forget we have to get shoes and jewelry still."

The message had flown right past an excited giddy Monique and Cheria wanted to slap the hell out of her best friend.

She needed jewelry? That was something Jon could help with. They were... sort of seeing each other, doing it behind people's backs, obviously, but still together nevertheless. Monique, completely oblivious to Cheria's anxiety and hints, went on to describe the dress and its color. This girl was an angel and Jon made a mental note to thank her someday, memorizing everything she said.

"I bet you'll have a great time." Jon said finally, not about to spill what was going through his head at the moment.

"It's nothing special, just a simple dress I picked out since there wasn't much left…" Cheria had actually fallen in love with the dress the moment she laid eyes on it, but didn't want Jon knowing that fact. "Come on woman, we gotta go if we're gonna make it to the shoe shop you've had your eye on all day. I'll see you guys tomorrow. Don't work too late." The men watched her drag Monique out of the shop and peeled out of the parking lot.

"How old is her friend?"

Jon took great pleasure in squirting Joe with that spray bottle of water right in the face. "Down boy." Then he went back into the garage to finish his work for the day, his mind never leaving Cheria once.

"Next time I say 'it's time to go', please listen to me. I didn't want my boss knowing what all we still had to buy for Prom." Cheria stated once they were on the road headed toward their next destination.

"Sweetie, you call him boss, but I know the truth and that man wanted to know." Monique informed her, pocketing the business card Joe had slipped her before they had walked out the door. It was for the nail salon and had a 50% off all services on it. "He's not upset you're going, is he? He looked pretty excited for you." Possibly because Cheria was going with another chick, but still excitement was good.

Later that night, Cheria lay in bed at the house staring out the bay window when she received an interesting phone call from the last person she expected to hear from. "What do you want, Curtis?" Curtis Hussey was captain of the football team and Cheria's ex-boyfriend, someone she regretted dating because, the first chance he got, he cheated on her with Darcy, one of her ex-best friends.

"Just calling to check up on my girl, see if you've found anyone to go to Prom with yet. You know it'll be lame if you show up by yourself since you decided to dump me and all."

She hated his arrogance, wanting to reach through the phone and strangle him until he turned blue. "As a matter of fact I have." Cheria replied in a sweet sardonic tone, leaning her head against the window ledge missing Jon fiercely. "And who I'm going with is none of your damn business."

Curtis snorted, not believing her for a second and rolled his eyes. "When you finally come to your senses, you'll know where to find me, sweet cheeks."

"Not in this lifetime, asshole."

Hanging up the phone, Cheria tossed it on the bed disgusted with herself for letting him anywhere near her.

* * *

This would be a lot easier if he knew just what the dress looked like exactly, Jon mused, while studying the jewelry. He knew he couldn't go all out on it. Cheria would never accept it if he did. Jon also had no idea how she would explain it to Betty and Roy. Maybe he'd better forget this idea. Instead, he texted Cheria asking to see her in the dress. She could think he was going to jerk off to it later for all he cared. He was on a time limit here and the clerk was glancing at her watch, ready to kick him out as soon as business hours were over.

Chewing her bottom lip at Jon's text message request a little while later, after dealing with her asshole ex, Cheria wondered why he wanted to see her in it so badly. Then again, he was a man and would probably use it to get rid of the many erections she caused him. If Jon wanted to see her in it, she would give him what he wanted. It took her 10 minutes to change out of her nightclothes and to snap the perfect picture with the dress on, her silver hair braided over her shoulder fresh out of the shower. As soon as Cheria hit the 'send' button, she groaned and collapsed back on the bed in her dress, already regretting doing it.

"Jesus Christ..."

Jon nearly had a heart attack right there in the jewelry store, really glad that Tampa was a hotspot or else this place would have closed long before now. She was gorgeous and he actually felt jealousy that he wasn't the one taking her to Prom. He was way too old to feel like a giddy schoolboy.

"Sir? If you're ready...?"

He knew exactly what he wanted, a necklace and a pair of earrings that matched it. They weren't anything gaudy. Hell, maybe she wouldn't even like them, but they matched the dress perfectly. After seeing that picture of Cheria, he could now also imagine the silver haired beauty wearing nothing except the jewelry for him.

"Yes, yes I am."

Cheria had changed out of her dress and back into white cotton pajama pants with a matching nightshirt, bothered by Curtis's sudden phone call. He hadn't tried contacting her in months, so what made him decide to come crawling back all of a sudden? It didn't settle well with Cheria. Hell, she was probably paranoid and needed to sleep, but she couldn't. All Cheria wanted was to be in Jon's arms and to talk to him about Prom night – to spend it with him after making an appearance with Monique.

The sudden urge to see Jon flooded through every part of Cheria's body, her fingers flying over the keys on her cell phone before she could stop them. **I know this is a risk, but I want to see you. Tonight. I can't sleep. Can you come get me? Aunt and Uncle are sleeping and I'll sneak out the back. **

That was... weird as hell, but Jon wouldn't turn it down. It just meant he could give her his gift without having to worry about Joe seeing it. **Sure, be there in 15.**He sent back, throwing away the receipt so she couldn't see how much it had cost him. It wasn't high-end jewelry, but not cheap either. It would not stain her neck some funky color; he was certain of that. **Parked down the street.** He sent the message when he had arrived, headlights on dim since they were in a neighborhood, not wanting to wake up Betty and Roy.

Tossing on a black hooded sweatshirt that zipped up since it was chilly outside, Cheria managed to leave the house without making a sound and jogged quietly down the sidewalk. She arrived 5 minutes later and hopped in the passenger seat of his truck, closing the door. "Hi." Cheria greeted with a tense smile, trying to push her ex-boyfriend in the back recesses of her mind and buckled up when Jon pulled away from the curb. He could take her anywhere, she didn't care and, if she ended up staying the night with him, Monique would back her up.

"Thanks for coming to get me. Just can't sleep tonight for some reason. I'm not bugging you too much, am I?"

"Nope, you're not bugging me at all. I was out... running errands."

Jon knew just where he would take her and draped his free arm along the back of the seat, brushing his fingertips against the back of her neck. Soon, they were parked on a hill, an old place he used to come when he was a teenager that overlooked the beach, the stars out and seemingly unaffected by the city lights behind them. He shifted in his seat after turning off the truck and unbuckling, staring at Cheria intently.

"What's on your mind, Cher?"

"Nothing, just restless is all."

There was no way she could tell Jon about her ex-boyfriend, especially since Curtis was the same age as her – underage. Knowing Jon, he would hunt the little prick down and beat the hell out of him for uttering a word to her. Then again, she didn't know Jon well enough to know, but a girl could fantasize about her ex-boyfriend being murdered by her current man, right? Unfastening her seatbelt, Cheria crawled over until she sat straddled on Jon's lap, feeling her backside press against the steering wheel and softly kissed him.

"Actually I'm lying, there is something I wanted to talk to you about and it has to do with Prom. I want to spend that night with you, Jon. I'm only making a short appearance at the Prom and then Monique is leaving to go hang out with some of her other friends. I told her about us because I trust her the most and…I know she'd never spill any of my secrets." Cheria practically grew up with Monique and they were closer than sisters. "I shouldn't have told her, but…I couldn't keep this to myself anymore and it was eating me up inside since I don't keep secrets from her. We tell each other everything."

Jon absorbed that. She was one up on him because he had yet to tell Joe about them, not sure if he would until she was of age and legal. No point in dragging his friend to hell with him. One part of Jon's brain screamed and berated him that this was bad. Another minor, who knew about him…he would end up in prison as a sexual predator. The other part was working on calming him down. He trusted Cheria and needed to trust her faith in her friend as well.

"All right." Jon nodded in understanding, suddenly backtracking. "You want to spend the night with me?" That had the potential for some serious... issues, but he couldn't stop the smile from stretching his face. "If that's what you want, Cher." He wouldn't – couldn't deny the silver haired beauty anything. "I have something for you."

She smiled when he agreed, knowing a lot of people lost their virginity before the age 18, especially on Prom night. Whatever happened between them didn't need to be known by anyone. She'd be 18 in mere months, right after graduation and, even if someone turned Jon in, she would deny ever having sex with him. Without Cheria's statement, he wouldn't be charged with anything. Her Aunt and Uncle would make sure of it, knowing fully well they would support him.

"What is it?" She pulled back enough for Jon to drag over a plastic bag before procuring a long squared black velvet box from it. "Jon…" What had he done?

Jon noted the look on her face and frowned, rather pleased she was trapped between him and the steering wheel because it meant Cheria couldn't scurry off his lap. "Whoa Cher, calm down. It's not a ring or anything." He teased, awkwardly holding the box up between their bodies.

Toying with the lid of the box, Jon watched her emerald eyes attentively. They were locked on the box and she had trapped her bottom lip between her teeth. Jon bent forward and caught her lip, sucking it into his mouth briefly before kissing her, feeling her melting into him.

"Open it." He whispered in a command, eager to see her reaction.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

At his mercy after that kiss, Cheria obeyed and felt the breath temporarily leave her body, eyes widening. It was a beautiful necklace, silver with emerald stones laced throughout it and matching dangling earrings. They would match her Prom dress perfectly. She finally sucked in a somewhat sharp breath and touched the jewelry in front of her, finally pulling her gaze away to lock watery emerald on pale blue.

"Jon, they're beautiful."

Instead of kissing him, she hugged Jon tightly around the neck, burying her face in the crook of his and willed the tears to stay in her eyes. Once she was calm enough to look at him without crying, Cheria pulled back to cup his face and gave him a searing kiss, properly thanking him for being so sweet and buying her the jewelry for her Prom dress. She was falling harder and harder for him with each day that passed by. Jon had been worried she would be upset by him buying the jewelry. He noticed how antsy she had gotten in the shop earlier when Monique began describing the dress when he and Joe had offered the nail and hair services. Buying her jewelry might have been overstepping some boundaries or something, not that Jon hadn't bulldozed through them anyway. Carefully, he removed Cheria from his lap and opened the door, gesturing for her to follow him. Jon took her hand and carefully led her around to the cab, climbing in and reaching down to help her up.

"Come here."

Jon laid down; he kept his truck clean, inside and out at all times since it was one of the few items he owned outright. He gestured for her to lay with him, extending his arm so Cheria could have something to rest her head on instead of the cold metal. This wouldn't be comfortable for long, Cheria surmised, snuggling as close to Jon as she could get.

"I've been thinking about the waiting thing and…I don't think I can wait until I'm 18 to be with you, Jon." Cheria looked up at him in his eyes and traced his lips with her fingertips, a soft smile stretching her own. "I'm scared to do it, to go all the way with you, but at the same time…I don't know…I'm excited about it, I guess. It's hard to explain. These past 2 months have been incredible and I don't want to lose you because you're trying to wait for me to turn 18. I say screw the rules and laws; nobody will know what happens between us except us. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you in every way possible because I do. You called me out on it a month ago at the grocery store. I couldn't lie to you then and I won't hide what I'm feeling now."

Jon didn't know what to say to that. What could he say? She was basically offering herself up on a platter to him and he didn't know if he had the strength to walk away from the temptation Cheria presented him with. He wanted her more than the air in his lungs and the beat of his heart, but he was trying to do the right thing by waiting.

"I don't want you doing this, Cheria," Jon began gently, hoping he could say this without making her think he was turning her down or pushing her away. "Because you think I won't wait or you're afraid I'll find someone else, because I will wait and there is nobody else."

Swinging one leg over his waist to straddle him, Cheria's heart swelled at Jon's words and she knew he meant every one of them. It wasn't just about sex to him – there was an undying connection that could never be severed. "I'm so lucky to have you. You've been so patient and understanding with me, helping me when I've needed it…" Her hands slid up his strong arms until they stretched out above his head and Cheria laced their fingers together, pinning him down momentarily in the back of the truck. "I'm only telling you how I feel. There's no pressure here from either of us. I'm just saying when you're ready to take that next step, I'm ready and waiting for you. I trust you wholeheartedly, Jon, and…my feelings for you are growing stronger. I just hope if you ever do find someone else, you'll be honest with me. That's all I ask."

Curtis hadn't been and shattered her heart; Cheria wouldn't let it happen again. She was so serious about this and Jon studied her thoughtfully, wondering who had broken her heart. She was so young and the 'old man' in him couldn't easily dismiss the misery. She was young, young love rarely lasted, but here she was. Young and well on the path to loving him. Hell, Jon knew fully well that was a path he could very easily get lost on himself.

"Who hurt you, Cher?" He ruminated aloud, running the pad of his thumb along her bottom lip.

Jon sat upright and wrapped her legs around his waist, keeping one set of hands clasped together while he continued stroking her face. "Some asshole I don't want to discuss. He called me tonight asking if I found a date to the Prom and I told him yes and that it was none of his damn business. I guess he sort of fired me up and then you texted me asking to see me in my dress. After that call, I just wanted to see you because you make me feel wanted and safe." Cheria couldn't lie to him or keep the truth hidden because Jon was very observant and would find out eventually. "Anyway, what I felt for him is nothing – NOTHING compared to what I'm feeling for you. That was child's play and I know what we have here is real."

Uttering the L word right now would be a mistake and Cheria fought it off for the time being, unzipping her sweatshirt to toss it to the side since Jon's body heat kept her warm enough. Teenage boys could be heartless dicks; Jon knew that for a fact because he had been the same way as a teenager. Looking at her, he actually regretted it, wondering if he had hurt anyone the way she had obviously been. He was also a bit pleased to know had been right; she had wanted to see him for a reason. To make everything better – it sent a foreign warmth coursing through him. He wrapped the arm that wasn't busy with her face around her lower back, supporting her and leaned forward until his forehead rested against hers.

"If he gives you trouble, Cher, you let me know." Jon would not let anyone harass her, feeling a wave of protectiveness over her course through him. He'd break Curtis's legs if he didn't leave Cheria alone; she was officially off-limits as far as he was concerned.

"Mmm so protective and strong – and all mine."

Cheria moaned softly when he captured her mouth in a soft passionate kiss, gripping his massive shoulders through the leather jacket he currently sported. Jon did make it better, Curtis Hussey the farthest thing from her mind, and that's what Cheria wanted. He chased away all the bad memories and replaced them with current amazing ones.

"You're so good to me, Jon…" She gasped out, lulling her head back a little to give him full access to her neck and pushed her braided hair to hang down her back, burying her fingers in his unruly curls. "Lower – touch me, baby…"

Jon had full permission to do anything he wanted at this point and whatever came next Cheria was completely willing. Noting that she had come out wearing what looked like pajama bottoms, -white cotton bottoms and a matching top now that the hoodie was off- Jon was tempted to touch her lower. He didn't have to go too far, some heavy petting would be all right, justifying his actions in his own twisted mind. Moving his lips to graze against her collarbones, Jon's mouth roamed over whatever bare skin he could find. One hand continued holding her steady while the other now moved to her hip; then slowly up beneath her top, feeling her bare skin searing his palm.

She couldn't stop his name from spilling out of her mouth, especially when his strong hand reached her bra covered breast and cupped it, her nipple hardening against the thin material. How could being simply touched like this turn her into molten lava? It baffled Cheria's mind and her hand suddenly had a mind of its own, clasping the zipper of his leather jacket sliding it down until it opened. His mouth continued assaulting her neck, forcing tremors to course through her body and his hand kneaded her breast before moving to the other one, giving it the same treatment. Taking a chance, her hand bunched the material of the black t-shirt he had on and pulled it from being tucked in his jeans, splaying her soft cool hand against the rock hard abs of his stomach. Jesus, this man was built like a brick house!

Lighting him on fire from her simple soft caresses, Jon could feel his muscles rippling beneath her touch, responding to her in ways that he never had with another woman before. Jon stopped his ministrations on her in order to pull his shirt over his head since it was suddenly too confining and hot to wear. He guided her hands back to his now bare chest, eyes closing as Cheria began exploring his upper body. Was there nothing she couldn't do that didn't get him going? His own hands returned to under her shirt, moving around to the back of her bra. Meeting her emerald gaze, Jon wondered if this would be going too far. He had heard what she said, but still... saying and doing were two very different things.

"Do it, I trust you, Jon." Cheria assured him, reaching back to place her hand over his and helped him unfasten the bra, removing it along with her nightshirt moments later.

Now she was bare to him from the waist up, her breasts in his vision and Cheria felt a little self-conscious, trying not to cover herself up. It was an instinct, a natural reaction. With trembling hands, she moved her hands further up his chest and torso, sliding her nails over the pectoral nipples that stood at full attention along with her own. Taking another chance, Cheria leaned forward and took one of them in her mouth, hearing a low growl escape his. It was a growl of approval and vibrated both of their bodies. Then she proceeded to pay the same attention to his other pectoral. Jon wanted to admire her for a moment, but she had moved before he could, only allowing him a brief tantalizing view. However, he could touch and his hands and mouth roamed the expanse of delicious flesh now bared before him. What Cheria was doing to him was incredible, his entire body thrumming with pleasure while she tormented his chest.

He planned on returning the favor until they were both in a frenzy, knowing they were playing with fire, but damned if he could stop himself. It was almost as if her body was on autopilot, doing whatever instinctively kicked in and apparently Jon enjoyed it from the sounds he made. The hill was silent and nobody else would come up here, not even police, since Jon had been smart to cut the ignition and lights. They were in darkness with the moonlight being their only way to see each other and what they were doing. When Cheria pulled back from his other pectoral, a gasp escaped her feeling Jon's mouth immediately attack her breasts, pressing her forehead down against his soft curls. She knew he had to be uncomfortable since the back of the truck had no cushioning, but as long as he wasn't complaining, she wouldn't either.

"Jon…" Cheria whimpered, lulling her head back while keeping a grip on his hair between her fingers and arched her body to give him full access to any part of her anatomy he wanted.

The only part of Jon that was truly uncomfortable was between his legs because there wasn't a lot of room in the front of his jeans at the moment. He was used to being in uncomfortable positions, being a mechanic and all. Alternating with her breasts, paying one attention with his lips, tongue and teeth while teasing the other with his hand, Jon plucked at her pert nipple teasingly. Her body was so responsive to him and that made everything even better, a heady feeling, knowing he was giving her this pleasure. He was careful not to mark Cheria though, not anywhere that couldn't be covered up; his scruff would leave some slight marks that would fade quickly.

"You like this, Cher?" He rumbled, running his tongue up the valley of her breasts, along her collarbone and back to her throat, moving upwards until he could nip at her earlobe. "Tell me what you want..."

Her mouth and brain couldn't function at the moment, the only thing Cheria focusing on besides the immense pleasure this man made her feel was learning how to breathe again. "Loaded question, baby." She replied, pushing him down in the bed of the truck and pressed their naked chests together, both groaning at the friction. Cheria didn't want to go home, not tonight. "I want to go home with you," She paused briefly, nipping his bottom lip and pulled on it a little, the same thing he'd done to her a few times.

She was learning, picking up tricks whenever they were together like this, though it was the first time she let him remove half her clothing. Cheria nuzzled his neck and ear, nipping it tenderly with her teeth. Honestly, getting up early was the last worry on her mind – Cheria could sleep when she was dead. As tempting as it was, Jon would not put Roy and Betty in that worried to death position, owing them too much.

"Do more of this and fall asleep in your arms..."

"You have no idea how tempting that is, Cher..." Jon groaned, giving the idea some serious consideration. He would love to take her home and have her in his bed, to fall asleep and then wake up with her in his arms. "I'd imagine Betty and Roy would freak the hell out though, if they woke up and you were gone without a word."

That didn't seem to faze Cheria too much since she already had a backup plan for her Aunt and Uncle. "Monique will simply tell them I was at her house. It's not the first time I've snuck out in the middle of the night. Monique's parents are flight attendants, so she's home alone A LOT. But if you don't want to take me home, my strong boy scout, I understand. In that case, we should get going since it's pretty late…" She tried not to sound disappointed about not being able to stay with Jon tonight, but understood his reasoning and softly kissed him when he sat upright again. "Thank you for bringing me here."

She was an evil minx sent directly from hell with the sole purpose of tormenting and teasing him with things he shouldn't want. "Cher..." Jon said slowly, wrapping his arms around her, feeling goosebumps covering her skin and pressed his head against hers. "If you really want to come home with me, you can, but I can't promise I'll be able to... _restrain_... myself much more." If that was what he could even call what just happened between them.

His restraint was practically gone at this point.

"I know…"

Cheria considered the possibility of having sex with him already and, even though it scared her, it would happen eventually. Sex was part of human nature and one of the most gratifying experiences on the planet, as long as it was with the right person. Jon was definitely the right man for her, the one she wanted to give her innocence to, but they'd only known each other 2 months. Cheria had to factor that in, wanting her first time to be special as cliché as that sounded.

"Just a little longer, a little more time and I'm all yours. I'm yours already, but…I just have to get over my fear of…that…and I'll be ready. There's nobody else I want; you know that, right?"

In a way, she was adorable, and that was not a word in Jon's everyday vocabulary. She was shy, afraid and he got that. He wasn't entirely sure why Cheria wanted him to be her first; he was just scruffy guy and she could definitely do a hell of a lot better. Her words, however, set something possessive off inside of Jon and he kissed the top of her head affectionately.

"You don't know... how happy it makes me to hear you say that, Cheria." He murmured, not entirely sure if happy was the right way to describe it. "I'm not pushing you into anything you're not ready for. You say the word and I'll back off. This is at your pace, all right?"

Cheria nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck in a loving embrace, relief coursing through her body at his words. Glancing up at the stars and moon shining down on them – a half-crescent shaped, Cheria never wanted this moment to end. It was just enough light to let them see each other and it was all they needed that night. They sat that way for a little while after sliding their clothes back on because the more the night progressed, the chillier it became. By the time 4 AM rolled around, Jon finally pulled up in front of her house, both of them feeling agonized the night had come to an end so soon.

"See you later today." She softly kissed him, lingering more than necessary and hopped out of the truck with the Prom jewelry he bought for her in hand, watching him drive off down the road before heading inside herself to try to get a few hours of sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Joe was mildly disturbed at how happy Jon seemed lately, especially today. The man looked tired, but happy nonetheless. Jon wasn't a depressed kind of guy, but also not the type to be walking around grinning the way he was. Smirk, yes - smile and whistle, no. It had to be a woman, there was no other explanation for Jon's behavior and attitude.

"Who is she?" He demanded, wondering just who this mystery woman was. "Seriously man, who is this broad? She has to be something special..."

Jon just wiggled his eyebrows, snickering when Joe glowered at him. "I'll never _tell_." He sing-songed in response while changing a wire under the hood of a Toyota Camry.

* * *

Prom was on the horizon, just a week away and Cheria was elated to be going with her best friend, both of them deciding to have a sleepover with the men in their lives. It was no surprise when Monique came to her a week after meeting Joe and confessed they had spent time together, but no sex had happened yet. Monique was in the same boat as Cheria and vice versa with Joe and Jon. Cheria didn't know if Jon knew about Joe and Monique, so she kept it quiet until Joe was ready to tell him. She was happy for them, thankful she wasn't the only deceptive one who enjoyed the company of an older man rather than the boys they went to school with. They walked down the hallway talking quietly, not wanting anyone else overhearing their conversation since it was about the mechanics.

"I know I was a hypocrite at first with you and Jon and I'm sorry about that."

"No harm done. As long as you're happy and he doesn't hurt you, that's all I care about." They walked into the cafeteria and sat down at a nearby table with their bags of food in hand, never eating the stuff the school provided. "So, did you get your hem fixed on your dress yet?"

"Yeah I did; stabbed myself a million times with the needle before my mom came to the rescue with some of this weird hemming tape." Monique held up her hand, showing off her Iron Man band-aid. "Oh boy... scumbag alert." She rolled her eyes and gestured towards the lunch room doors before eyeballing her bag. She was pretty sure she had an apple in there she could use as a projectile weapon.

"Cherry, babe..." Curtis had gotten over their last conversation, figuring he could forgive her. The girl obviously had issues turning someone as popular as him down. "We need to talk."

"Not interested." Cheria popped a grape in her mouth from the fruit salad Aunt Betty made over the weekend.

"Oh come on, Cherry." Curtis sat in front of them without an invitation, a smarmy smile on his face. "I forgive you for what happened. You had a momentary relapse in judgment; it happens. Now it's time to move on and talk about Prom."

Was this douchebag serious? Yes, yes he was. "She already has a date for the evening." Monique wrapped a protective arm around Cheria's shoulders, a cold smile on her face. "And I'm MUCH better company than the likes of you, Hussey."

Curtis snorted, rolling his eyes. "You're just pissed off because you were dumped by my boy and can't handle rejection. So what? You two going lesbo now?"

"Even if we were, it's none of your business. Now leave, Curtis. I have nothing to say to you."

"But we're not finished yet, Cherry." He reached over to snag a piece of fruit from her bowl, popping it in his mouth and chewed loudly. "Mmm, I do miss your Aunt Betty's food." Curtis's eyes darted back and forth between the two, the smirk firmly hitched in place. "Hey Mon-Mon, if you want to join us for Prom, I have nothing against that. Lesbians are hot." The odds of them being lesbians were pretty slim. "It'll be sad, Cherry, you going with another chick. You might want to reconsider. What time should I pick you up? I'll even spring for a limo."

"Sad? You think going with my best friend is sad?" Cheria was angry and could feel her temper rising quickly at Curtis's arrogant obnoxious words, hating the fact he touched her fruit with his slimy hands. Standing, Cheria decided to put this to rest and stood up on the table, clapping her hands to gain everyone's attention in the cafeteria. "I want to announce that I'm going to Prom this year with my best friend and sister from another mister, Monique! I will NOT be attending with the asshole in front of me, Curtis Hussey! Thank you!" She didn't care if anyone listened and watched Curtis's face grow crimson red from both anger and embarrassment. "Come on, date, let's go outside for some much needed Curtis Hussey FREE air."

Monique grinned, looping her arm through Cheria's and both headed out of the cafeteria with laughter at Curtis's expense echoing behind them.

All Curtis could do was sit there and be humiliated, finally having enough and removing himself from the cafeteria. Cheria and her little lesbian lover would pay for this, he would make sure of it.

"Eventually, he's going to do something stupid, or spread some rumor, just to make your life hell for that." Monique said as the laughter faded, inclining her head until it touched Cheria's. "I wish he'd take a long walk off a short pier already."

"You and me both, Moni."

* * *

Cheria walked into the shop, looking exhausted because she ended up getting an in-school suspension for the antics she pulled in the cafeteria. It was worth it. Curtis deserved it after what he said regarding her and Monique being lesbians! He was a dick, plain and simple; she didn't bother telling the principal what Curtis said because he was the high school's sweetheart. Captain of the football team trumped over the likes of her, even though she used to be part of the cheerleading squad. Quitting that was the best decision she could've made.

"Hello there, Mr. Anoa'i." She grinned evilly at the Samoan when he walked into the office, setting her purse in the nearby drawer before turning the computer on.

Joe cocked an eyebrow, staring down at Cheria, wondering what that was all about and scratched the back of his head. "Uh, good afternoon, Cheria?" He was a big man and not easily intimidated, but that grin... it was evil. "Dare I ask?"

He walked over to the corner of the office where some chairs for customers sat along with a stand that had a few magazines and newspapers on it, straightening them up. They had their certificate copies on the wall, displaying their credentials. He had taken down last year's inspection slip and was putting up the one they had received today. Being certified was great, having to do the certification got annoying.

"Oh nothing." Cheria sing-songed, twirling in her chair a few times and enjoyed the nervous expression on Joe's face.

Good, she wanted him to be cautious around her. This man was dating her best friend and Cheria wouldn't let him off easily. Dating Monique meant he had to go through her and, so far, Joe passed the test with flying colors without realizing it.

"So, did you happen to get a hold of your sister to see if she can do mine and Moni's hair for Prom?" She asked sweetly, the evilness not leaving her twinkling emerald eyes.

For reasons completely unknown to him -he would never bother trying to figure them out- the way Cheria worded that, or maybe it was her tone of voice, something made the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. "Yeah, I did. I'll uh... give you her number so you can let her know what time is good for you." Actually, Monique had all this information and was supposed to have told Cheria. Joe did not like being put on the spot. "You two going to take advantage of Mrs. Woo? Get your nails done?" He was talking about Prom with a teenage girl; Joe would have to revoke his man card.

"Mmmhmm, we'd be stupid to pass up 50% off after all."

Cheria and Monique were supposed to discuss Prom during lunch that day, but Curtis interfered and they never got a chance to have that conversation. She would have to call Monique later and see if Joe gave her the information to get their hair done. Joe looked extremely uncomfortable standing there talking to her about Prom and it took every ounce of willpower not to laugh at him. If Monique was here, she would've definitely called him out on it. Still, Monique made her promise not to say anything until her and Joe were ready to tell Jon and Cheria wouldn't betray her best friend's trust.

"Thanks again for asking your sister, if I haven't said it already, big man."

"Yeah big man, thanks again." Jon emerged from the garage, smirking at the two as he wiped his hands off on the shop rag he was carrying. "What're we thanking him for, Cher?"

Eventually he was going to tell Joe about him and Cheria. It was on his list of things to do, really. Like, in a few months, when she was 18 and nobody could send his ass to jail. He loved his friend; they were brothers and family, but some things had to be kept secret between them, for now. Not that he didn't feel a bit bad about not telling Joe because Jon did, but there was no way Joe would condone what he was doing with Cheria.

"Prom apparently."

"That ain't over yet?"

It was fun to mess around with Joe and he winked at Cheria, then tilted his head to the side. She was looking... evil today. It was kind of hot. This was too fun, though Cheria had to play it cool whenever Jon was around and the evilness slowly diminished from her eyes.

"Nope, it's this weekend actually."

She planned on showing up at Prom for an hour with Monique to make their grand appearance and then both were spending the night with their men. Cheria couldn't wait to be with Jon that night so he could see her in the dress personally along with the jewelry he bought her. Monique thought it was the sweetest thing for Jon to do that and something told Cheria Joe would be doing the same thing for her friend before the event happened.

"Just double-checking a few things for me and Moni, boss. I'll get to work now."

Flashing both of them a grin, Cheria turned her chair to face the computer and started entering the orders for the vehicles to be fixed, which were all sprawled across her desk. Jon hadn't gone as far as marking the date on his calendar, but he definitely remembered when Prom was because Cheria and him had discussed Prom. More specifically the night of and after Prom, in detail. She would spend the night at his place and he planned on making sure it was properly cleaned with actual food besides canned raviolis and Doritos.

"You do that Cher, not paying you to gossip." Jon teased, scooting around her to grab a set of keys, brushing his fingers against the back of her neck as he stepped away. "Hey big man, why don't you go take that ride for a test and let me know how it sounds, yeah?"

"Sure." Joe caught them, grinning.

"Could you sound more like a jackass next time? I didn't quite get enough of it just now." Cheria remarked once they were alone, shaking her head at the smirk on Jon's face. If he wasn't so handsome and a great kisser, not to mention her boss, she would've flipped him the bird. Then again, Jon may have enjoyed that since he was slowly pulling the animal out inside of her whenever they were together intimately. "Lord, you need better handwriting, Jon. What the hell does that say?" She handed over an order form, unable to read the total amount on how much the parts they ordered cost.

Frowning, Jon took the form and eyeballed it, finally rolling his eyes. "Woman, you need to learn to decipher my scribbles, especially if you're in this for the long haul." This was some of his best handwriting. Perfectly legible! Jon jotted down the amount again, this time doing it slowly and smirked when he got an elbow to the gut. "So mouthy, Cher..." He bent down to where his mouth rested by her ear, watching her work. "I like it."

She tried not to smirk at him, but it was hard considering how much of an antagonist he could be. "If you can find another person, besides Joe, who can read your chicken scratch, I'll have you bend over so I can kiss your ass." Cheria shot back and snatched the paper from him to start entering it in the system, shaking her head.

Truth be told, the bantering was foreplay for them since they couldn't do the real thing until she turned 18…or the night of Prom, if Cheria had her way. Jon would only be able to resist her for so long before throwing caution to the wind and claiming her in every way possible. She was hoping that happened Prom night, wanting it to be an experience she would never forget, even if she and Jon didn't last.

"Plenty of people can read my chicken scratch, I'll have you know, darlin'." Jon protested, parking his backside on the far side of the desk, keeping a respectable distance from her. It was pretty quiet right now and the only thing he had going was buffing out some scratches on a car. Well, if Joe came back and said that the Ford he had just repaired was still sounding off, then he'd have that. "You ready for Prom?" Cheria could read into that however she wanted; he was still curious.

"Yes, for the most part." Cheria finished typing up the first order before turning to face him, tilting her head slightly studying his face. He was calm and cool as a cucumber, not an ounce of stress or anxiousness anywhere in his features. "Not looking forward to the dressing up part or dealing with a bunch of idiots from school." Such as Curtis Hussey; Cheria kept that to herself though, not wanting to upset her boyfriend. "You're still going to pick me up behind the venue, right?" They would be out of sight and nobody would miss her from Prom anyway since Monique was leaving too. She already had her escape route planned with Joe. "And my English teacher would give you an F for handwriting, boss."

"Your English teacher would love me, I can charm the pants off of any-" Jon stopped there, flashing an apologetic grin, though when Cheria informed him the teacher was a male, he quickly took back his words. "I'd take the F." That could have gone 3 ways wrong. "Behind the venue, I'll be your knight in a big ass truck. And you had better be wearing that dress, Cher. I want to see you in it." Possibly take her out of it too. He still had the text photo she had sent him of her in the dress, but he wanted to see Cheria all dolled up completely in person, his eyes darkening at the thought.

"Hmm maybe I will - maybe I won't." Cheria teased him a bit and shivered when he moved to growl in her ear, planting his hands on her shoulders. His warm touch felt wonderful; Cheria found it hard to concentrate with Jon this close to her. "Mmm what will you give me if I keep it on?" She asked quietly, just in case Joe came back and was in the garage.

The music wasn't on and the walls were somewhat thin in the shop; she wasn't taking any chances of them being caught. Though, she did wonder if Jon had told Joe about them yet and made him promise not to say anything the same way Monique made her. Oh she was a tease... Jon slipped off the desk and moved so he was in front of it, leaning down until they were face to face. Taking the pad and pen, Jon made it look like he wasn't about to sexually harass his employee.

"Keep it on Cher, all of it..." He murmured in a husky command, eyes fastened on hers. "And when I get you back to my place, I'll take my sweet time undressing you until the only thing left for you to wear is me."

It was really going to happen. She would lose her virginity on Prom night. It was stereotypical, but that didn't matter to Cheria. Two long agonizing months was too long of a wait to give herself to this delicious man in front of her. She trusted Jon completely and wanted him more than the air she breathed. He was her water and she was incredibly thirsty, needing the thirst quenched before her throat dried up like the Sahara Desert.

"I'm holding you to that, baby." She murmured, taking a chance to reach up and stroke the side of his face with the back of her hand. "Now stop distracting me before you get us both in trouble with Joe."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Speak of the devil..."

Jon kissed the back of her hand before she could pull it away, then straightened himself up, hearing Joe pull the Ford into the open bay door. He winked down at Cheria and headed back out to the garage. Christ, he was never going to be able to walk properly again, or at least not until he finally claimed what she was offering, what they both wanted. Jon was out of his mind for thinking about this - about her right now in the shop, of all places. She had officially ruined him, the she-devil.

"How's it sound?"

"Purring like a kitten. Want me to call Trent and let him know he can pick it up?"

"Yeah." He couldn't go back in that office, not right now. Jon might pin Cheria to the desk and have his way with her, the sneaking around be damned! "Or... have Cheria do it." Sometimes he forgot she actually worked for him.

Joe did as he was told, walking into the office to give Cheria the phone call order.

"Sure thing." Cheria grinned evilly at Joe again, taking the slip of paper from him and made the call to the owner of the truck, letting him know to pick his vehicle up along with the total he owed.

"Get the fuck outta here! I'm not paying that! That's not what we agreed on!" Trent was livid, one of Jon's best customers and couldn't believe the boy was trying to pull the wool over his eyes. "Where's Jon? I demand to speak to him NOW!"

This was the first time Cheria had been yelled at over the phone and it somewhat intimidated her, but she had to maintain her cool. "Sir, the amount is final. Now, if you don't want to pay for the services, we'd be happy to keep your vehicle, sell it and then bill you 3 times the amount of what it is right now. It's your choice. Have a nice day."

She hung up the phone and took a couple deep breaths to slow her racing heart. There was no way she would allow a customer to intimidate her and, if he came into the office today, THEN he would speak to Jon face to face. Sure enough, Trent came into the office, or was dropped off, since his ride was currently in the garage, being held captive by some sassy woman.

"All right, where's Good?" He demanded, eyeballing the woman behind the desk. His face, already ruddy, went redder at the sight of a little girl looking up at him. "Jon Good, get your thieving ass in here, boy!"

"You bellowed, Trent?"

"Did you authorize this punk to threaten to sell my goddamn car and still bill me?"

That was news to him. "Sure did, got a problem with that?"

"You little-!"

"Trent, you've been good to us and we've been good to you, but when you were quoted, it was just for the brakes. We called you back. Joe personally called you actually and told you about all the rest. You said and I quote 'Just fix the goddamn thing and bill me.'" Jon even did the air quote thing. Trent had a temper, but he was usually pretty fair with them.

"Unless you want us to remove the parts and let your tires fall off, we're cool with that too." Joe was now leaning in the doorway that connected to the garage, arms folded over his chest. He remembered that conversation quite well. Trent hadn't even asked for the new price.

"I... no, I'll pay it. Goddamn..." Trent reached for his wallet, grumbling under his breath. "Can't believe you hired some punk ass kid, letting them threaten customers like that."

"Pay the lady and get the hell out."

"What?"

"You can't talk decent to or about her, you can get the flying fuck out of my shop before I throw you out." Jon was not amused anymore.

Cheria smiled sweetly at the red-faced older man and took the money, all $1,500 of it, and printed him out a receipt. There was no need for him to sign anything since it was all cash. She couldn't believe both Jon and Joe defended her, but had a feeling she'd be scolded for what she said to Trent.

"Have a nice day, sir." She kept the same tone of voice she had with him over the phone, staying completely professional while he glared daggers at her with his dark beady eyes.

"You're damn lucky I like this place or I'd find a new shop to fix my shit. Little girl, sit your ass down and-"

His eyeballs nearly fell out of his head when Jon shoved him away from the desk through the door, making Trent land on his backside on the hard concrete. Joe was so glad he used cheap used tires and hoped they popped on Trent's ride home. Maybe they'd get lucky and he'd drive into a ditch.

"We don't need your business anymore. You're banned from here."

"I'm sorry…" Cheria apologized as soon as Jon and Joe walked back into the office, lowering her head.

Technically, Cheria was in the right. If Trent refused to pay the bill, they could have claimed the car as payment and still billed him for excess. Of course, that was always a last resort because being taken to court and wading through legal proceedings just to prove the shop was in the right was a pain in the backside. That wasn't the first card played out the gate either, not that Cheria knew that.

"Joe?"

"Yeah." Joe would explain it to her since Jon had to go put that car out for Trent to take.

Cheria sat and listened silently while Joe explained why it was both right and wrong for her to threaten Trent over the phone. They couldn't be threatening customers or else the business would surely fail, destroying their reputation. Cheria understood, apologizing once more for acting irrationally and letting her emotions get the best of her. It angered her how many people tried taking advantage of Jon though. Again, she couldn't let her feelings get in the way of business – they had to remain separated. Joe left her be to go work in the garage while Jon remained outside, smoking a cigarette trying to calm down. He did send her a text letting her know he wasn't angry with her and asked if she wanted to spend time with him tonight after the shop closed down.

**Only if you help me study for a test. **Cheria texted back, needing to get some studying done since the test was 2 days away and she hadn't started any of it.

Jon wasn't angry with Cheria in the slightest. He was pissed the hell off with Trent and knew that anger would seep into whatever conversation they might have had regarding when it was alright to start... not threatening, but politely reminding customers of the consequences should they refuse to pay. **Sure, what's the subject?**

Jon had done fairly well in school, even with his crappy penmanship. Though, he had written a lot neater back then, now it was usually scribbles. Or chicken scratch, Cheria hadn't been wrong about that, but the way he figured, he wasn't a doctor and his penmanship wasn't about to cost anyone their lives.

**Chemistry. I'm not very good at it. I need help remembering the Periodic Table more than anything. **She sent back, not about to tell him the test was a 1/3rd of her grade and the Periodic Table was over half of it.

Without studying, Cheria would surely fail. What had she been thinking threatening one of Jon's customers? Regret was following along with the realization of what she did. If she was anybody else, Jon would've more than likely canned her, not that Cheria didn't deserve it. Sighing, Cheria turned and began typing on the computer again, answering phone calls and whatnot to make appointments for people to bring their vehicles in to be checked over.

**I can do that.** Jon sent back over an hour later.

Pretty sure he remembered most of them, a quick refresher would probably bring most of it back. Other than totally botching government, he had been a fairly decent student. Cheria was smart, he knew she'd do great, but if she wanted his help, he'd give it to her. Jon finished with his cigarette, tucked away his cell and went back to work. He and Joe had most of the scratches buffed out by the time closing rolled around and would be ready to smooth them out before painting tomorrow. No getting high on paint fumes tonight.

They met at the hill, the same one where Cheria gave him a little sample of what she had to offer. Cheria climbed into his truck and set her book bag on the floorboard, immediately being pulled against him for a kiss. She unbuckled his seatbelt and swung one leg over Jon's thighs to straddle him, shifting a little to get more comfortable. First a little make out session and then they would get to work on studying for chemistry. She missed him and felt after the stunt she pulled at work earlier owed him for not firing her on the spot. Not wanting to think about that right now, Cheria just wanted to enjoy her time with Jon for however long she had him and broke the kiss reluctantly, removing the baseball cap he had on backwards on his head to run her fingers through his curls. Carefully, Jon somehow managed to navigate them until they were in the middle of the seat, giving her a bit more leeway since she no longer had the steering column up her backside. He wouldn't turn down spending time with her, be it studying for chemistry or this and smiled when she snagged a curl.

"Don't fight my hair, babe, it'll win." Jon teased, leaning forward to kiss her again. "Shouldn't you be studying, Cher?" He murmured, his lips trailing down her jawline to her throat, feeling her tilting her head to give him better access. Studying was probably the last thing on her mind and it definitely wasn't first on his.

"I love your hair."

Yes, she should be studying and he agreed to help her, but all Cheria could think about was his lips on any part of her body. Reaching up, she removed the clip and let her hair cascade down her back in soft silver waves, knowing Jon enjoyed it when she had it down. Only for him though, no one else.

"You're such a bad influence on me, Jonny boy." Pulling back, Cheria pecked his lips softly once more and grabbed her book bag to pull the chemistry book out, flipping it open to the page with the Periodic table on it. "Okay so let's make a game out of this – make it a little more interesting. For every answer I get right, I'll remove one piece of whatever I have on. And every answer I get wrong, I put a piece back on. What do you think? Or do you have a better idea?"

That actually seemed like a win for him, but Jon wasn't entirely sure what she was getting out of it. Jon shook his head, smirking and took the book from her. "For every right answer you get, Cher," He paused, considering her, wondering how far either of them were willing to go with this little game. "I'll give you a kiss, in a place of my choosing." She currently wore a skirt, a rather boring professional skirt, that came down enough to be modest, but wasn't constricting enough to prevent her from straddling his lap. He decided he liked this skirt. "If you get the answer wrong, you don't get anything."

Jon had a feeling she would get a lot of those answers right, especially once he got started. Cheria smiled, not believing how considerate and kind he was. He always thought of her, put her first above anything else besides his job. Even so, he defended her against one of his customers today and that made her heart swell.

"Deal." She held her hand out, giggling softly when he blew raspberries against it and smacked his arm playfully, shaking her head. "To make this fair, I need to get off your lap…"

Removing herself from him completely so she could think without a clouded brain, Cheria leaned back against the seat and awaited her first question. Maybe it would've been smarter to review the book before handing it over to Jon. As if sensing what she was thinking, Jon held the book out to her and let her have it before glancing at his cell phone. He set a timer on it and leaned back, giving her a few minutes to study up before he quizzed her on the Periodic table. Jon figured if their little game got to out of hand, he could be the responsible adult society said he was, stop and actually prep her. He definitely did not want her failing school; she was way too smart for that. When the alarm went off, Jon took the book back and smirked at her from his spot. This would have been better suited for somewhere... less crowded.

"Ready?" At her nod, they began.

The first 4 questions were easy, but then Jon got into the hard ones and it made her brain hurt thinking of the answer. "Damn it, I don't know that one." Cheria enjoyed the spots Jon kissed –neck, cheek, forehead and other side of her neck thus far– wanting more. In order to get more kisses, she had to get the questions right. "Alright – alright next one." Cheria waved her hands in frustration at him, a frown marring her face because this test was vital to her chemistry grade. It sucked she had to take courses she would never need in life and same would be for college, such as math when she wanted nothing to do with it. "Umm Ra is…Radium?"

Jon nodded, holding up a finger to indicate she was at one kiss. He figured it would be more productive if Cheria got them in groups, so she was able to focus more on the elements. "Sc?"

It took her a moment before she finally came up with the answer. "Scandium."

Jon wondered if she was having problems remembering what was what or just how to pronounce the words because, for the most part, Cheria was doing great. He was keeping a mental count of the ones she had gotten wrong, so they could go over those later. When she hit 5, he moved deciding he wanted to kiss those beautifully tanned thighs of hers. Sliding a strong calloused hand on her knee under the skirt, Jon cocked an eyebrow at her, silently asking if she was comfortable with this. When Cheria nodded, Jon bent down pressing kiss number one on the inside of her knee. Studying with Jon both proved to be pure hell and heaven at the same time. Hell when she got an answer wrong and heaven because of his addictive lips on her body. Cheria shivered when he pressed another kiss, after another right answer, further up her thigh pushing the skirt up inch by inch. She had to learn how to breathe again. This was definitely perfect motivation for her to do well on the quiz he currently gave her. Her tongue snaked out to wet her dry lips and could see the longing in Jon's eyes to continue further up her thigh, swallowing past the lump formed in her throat.

"At…At…" If she could get this right, maybe Jon would arrive at her panties. She doubted it though. "Astatine?" The grin on Jon's face told her the answer was correct and Cheria leaned her head back when he pushed the skirt up to bunch around her hips. "Oh god…"

As much as Jon wanted to, he did not remove, or make any move to touch those panties, though being so close was pure torture. When she managed to shakily get out another right answer, he groaned, wondering who was being tortured more and let his lips ghost along those panties, so close but not quite touching, until he reached the thigh he had been neglecting. Jon could feel her muscles tensing, and placed his hand on her knee, squeezing gently.

"Keep going, Cher."

It was almost a relief when Cheria got the answer wrong on the next question and that forced Jon away from her white cotton panties. She never wore lace or anything like that, not seeing a reason to. Comfort was a priority when dealing with all the imbeciles she went to school with. If they continued this game, the teasing would only intensify and the sexual tension between them was thick enough already. They would literally explode when finally coming together, Cheria shivering at the thought.

"I-I think that's enough studying." They'd been going at it for a straight hour; if Jon was smart, he would take her home before anything else transpired between them.

"I think you're right, you seem to have most of it down." He agreed, knowing they needed some space before things got out of hand.

Moving back until he was on his side of the truck, Jon took a moment to calm himself down. From the corner of his eye, Jon could see Cheria righting herself, smoothing the skirt down. Plain white cotton panties... there was something sexy, seductive, about such a plain innocent garment and he inwardly groaned.

Prom couldn't get here fast enough.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"So, I have a bone to pick with you, woman."

"Great, what did I do now?"

"Joe told me you made him VERY uncomfortable today at work." Monique tried not to sound amused by it, failing at being stern with her best friend. "Care to enlighten me on that after you promised not to say anything?"

"Oh come on!"

Cheria rolled her eyes while finishing polishing her toenails clear, trying to make them look perfect for Prom. Jon had dropped her off a few hours ago and the first thing she did was hop in the shower, turning the water on cold. She was quite chilly at the moment.

"I just screwed with him a little bit. No harm done."

"Yes well, try not to screw with him anymore until he tells Jon about us, alright?"

"Yes Mom, I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow. Night." Cheria hung up the phone and set it on her nightstand, slipping under the covers turning the lamp off on her nightstand. Just as she began falling asleep, her phone vibrated loudly on the nightstand and Cheria picked it up without looking at the caller ID, thinking it was Monique. "I told you I'm going to bed, woman."

Jon had gone home for a hot shower that did absolutely nothing to help his overly-tense body. He was over cold showers at this point. Jon knew relationships were not built on purely sex and whatever this serious chemistry he and Cheria possessed went beyond doing the nasty. They could have a great time together without the touching and teasing, accomplishing it time and time again since meeting. However...he had been celibate ever since meeting Cheria and nights like tonight... well, Jon was beginning to worry that the erection was now Priapus and he might have to seek medical treatment for it.

"Well darlin'," He blinked at the 'woman', figuring she had probably been chatting with Monique not too long before he called. "That's great, you need your rest." When Cheria immediately apologized, he cracked a grin. "Cher, I was just making sure you were okay." He knew tonight had the potential to cross boundaries that were not meant to be crossed, not just yet anyway.

"That's very sweet of you."

Cheria snuggled back into bed with the phone pressed to her ear and stared out the window, rain softly falling outside tapping at her window. It was crazy to miss him already when they'd spent time together earlier that night. She also knew why he was calling, what the meaning behind his words meant and it made her heart melt.

"I'm fine, Jon. Nothing a cold shower can't handle. What about you? I know you have needs and I can only imagine how much you've suffered over the past few months. Are you still okay with…waiting?"

Jon wasn't about to tell her he had upheld the promise he made to himself about a month ago and purchased himself a rather large bottle of baby oil. Or the fact him and his dick were on such great terms lately that he was thinking about giving it a nickname or something. He was seriously demented in the head.

"Cheria, I am definitely okay with waiting. That hasn't changed." He said patiently, hearing the hesitance in her voice, wishing he knew what was going through her mind. Was she still worried he'd find someone else? That was impossible at this point; Cheria had ruined him for all other women. "I'll wait however long you want me to."

It wasn't fair to him to have to wait for the likes of her though! Cheria didn't understand what it was about her that kept Jon from coming back for more abuse. "I feel like…I don't know…like I'm holding you back somehow." She didn't dare have this conversation with him face-to-face because those damn pale blue eyes would suck her in and Cheria would bend to anything Jon wanted. "I'm scared how strong and fast my feelings for you are growing, Jon. I don't want to make any mistakes. I mean…hell, you know I'm a virgin and I don't have any experience with guys besides kissing. You've opened up this world to me and…I'm scared of disappointing you when we finally, well…you know..." She couldn't bring herself to say the word 'sex', not even after all this time when it came to Jon.

"When we finally what? Have sex?" He had no problems saying it, his already gritty voice dropping a few octaves. "When we finally make love, hmm Cher?"

Jon gave her a moment, knowing he needed to address her issues. Sometimes he was able to forget how young and inexperienced Cheria was. Her eagerness to please and how open she could be when she was hot under the collar tended to make him forget she was still, technically, an innocent little virgin. One he wanted to taint in all the impish ways possible.

"Cheria, you'll never disappoint me. I can promise you that." He told her, being completely staid. "There are things happening here that I'm... new to." Jon felt awkward admitting this, ruffling his hair and was glad he was alone. "I've never felt for any woman the way I feel about you, so you're not alone in worrying about making mistakes. I don't want to screw this up either."

His teasing turned grave and Cheria could only lay there listening, enjoying the rasp of his voice filling her ear. Her heart began pounding furiously at his confession of how he felt for her, mirroring how she did for him. Did he love her? Did she love him? Cheria already knew her answer, but she was curious how long it would take for Jon to be honest with her about his true feelings.

"The only way you can screw this up is if you cheat on me. And I know you won't. I trust you completely, like I've said before. Yes, I'm scared to have sex with you because I don't want you to be disappointed, but if you're that certain I won't disappoint you, then…I shouldn't be worrying about it, I guess." That was a lot easier said than done. "I just need to stop second-guessing everything and let things happen in their own time."

"Sounds like a plan, darlin'. Trust me, Cher, I won't hurt you."

He was making her a promise Jon knew he could keep. There was no way he could ever hurt her; he couldn't even conceive of it. Speaking of conception, he actually grabbed a pad of paper and a nearby pen, jotting down birth control, wondering how he was going to even approach that topic with her. When he'd been in school, almost every girl was on something or at least the ones he had fooled around with had been, but Jon hadn't left anything to chance and still worn latex. He would have to invest in those again.

"Are you afraid of having sex with me or just afraid of having sex?" He asked bluntly, knowing the two could easily be intertwined.

"I'm afraid of the pain, if I'm being honest." Cheria answered after a minute of silence and shifted a little, wishing Jon was with her at that moment. "I'm not afraid of you, I know that. Maybe of how big you are, but not you as a person." Wow she sounded like an idiot – a babbling idiot with a crimson face. "Oh, I should probably tell you this now since Prom is less than a week away. I'm on birth control – been on it since age 14 to regulate my…cycle." And now her cheeks were flaming, the embarrassment clear as day in her voice. "I know you don't wanna hear that stuff, but…if we're going to have sex, I didn't want you worrying about me becoming pregnant."

It was like she was a mind reader and Jon was grateful he was alone because his face was probably burning. He could feel the heat in his burning ears. "That's uh - that's good to know, Cher." He sounded gruff and cleared his throat.

Well, now that that was out of the way... and rather awkward. Jon knew he was bigger than the average person, not bragging because it was a simple fact. Cheria could get average sizes from the Internet and then take a wild guesstimate on his if she wanted. Lord knew she had felt it enough whenever she was on his lap.

"I'll make sure you're ready to take me, Cheria. It won't be as bad as you're thinking."

"I'm not thinking it's going to be bad. I'm just…scared of it happening. It's like when a woman is getting ready to give birth to her first child. It's the fear of the unknown. Sex is unknown to me, but there's nobody else I'd rather experience it with than you."

It also scared her because Cheria wanted Jon to be her first and ONLY sexual partner, knowing that was highly unlikely. The thought of losing him because she wasn't experienced enough in the sexual department made her heart twinge with pain. Cheria decided she would do a lot of research prior to Prom night because, if she wasn't prepared a little bit and went in blind, it would end up disastrous.

"Thank you for putting my mind at ease."

"I hope I did." Jon really meant that and wondered if she just said it to back them out of the awkward conversation into normal waters. It was easier to read her when she was right there with him; he could only gather so much from tone of voice alone. "I'm gonna let you head to bed, Cher." Jon glanced at the clock, cringing. "I didn't realize how late it is." Time flew when he was with her and it tended to stall at moments he wasn't.

"Any time spent with you is worth lack of sleep, Jon. See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams."

They ended the call and Cheria had to fight the urge not to utter the L word. Not yet. It was way too soon for that. With that thought in mind, Cheria shut her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

This was a horrible idea.

The moment Cheria mentioned doing sex research on the internet, Monique jumped on board and they were currently at her house on a porn website. "Oh my GOD! I'm not doing THAT!" She exclaimed, emerald eyes shooting almost out of their sockets. "And I'm DEFINITELY not doing that either! How the hell does the damn thing fit?!"

Monique turned her head to the side, studying what was going on and finally shook her head. "I have no idea. Maybe we should try something... less wild."

She navigated the mouse to the categories menu of the site, something she had stumbled upon in the web browser history. Monique wasn't asking anyone about it, but assumed either her father or brother had forgotten to clear the cache or go incognito. She hadn't made that mistake; incognito mode was definitely on.

"Okay, how about..." Her jaw dropped. "They do not come in THAT size. Do they?" She had been through sex education and what displayed on the screen wasn't normal.

The penis on the screen had to be 3 times the size of a normal penis they'd studied extensively in sex education, both of them looking at each other before staring back at the screen. "Oh god…what if they're THAT big? How the hell does THAT fit inside of us?" Research was a very bad idea after looking at some of the grotesque things people did to each other. "Jesus, look how DEEP she's pushing that thing in her mouth!?" There was no way – NO WAY IN HELL – she would do something that vulgar and disgusting with Jon! "I think waiting until I'm 18 may be a better idea now…"

"No kidding." Monique was definitely in agreement with that, her mind straying to Joe. He was... pretty big, a lot bigger than any of the guys she had dated before or knew. "You don't think..." She trailed off, biting her lower lip and clicked out of the site. Instead she typed in 'sex - first time', figuring that would be a lot more helpful then porn. Maybe someone would have some advice other than deep throating ginormous cocks. "You don't think our guys are built like that, do you? I mean, they are huge..."

Cheria thought back to the first time she felt Jon's erection against her and swallowed hard, wrapping her arms around herself. "Maybe they are." She whispered, trembling slightly while Monique continued doing research.

Why was it a good idea to do sex research on the internet of all places? They'd looked at porn for over 2 hours, the school releasing everyone early due to a small fire in the chemistry lab. Nothing major and nobody was hurt, just minor burns if anything. She wished it was Curtis Hussey so he would stop bugging her about going to Prom with him. It wasn't happening.

"Find anything useful?"

"Uh... this is a forum for teenagers and it seems to be okay." Monique enlarged the page so they could read it comfortably. "Foreplay, lots of foreplay. That seems a bit obvious..." She read the explanation, wondering if this would be an actual problem. So far, her relationship with Joe was... nice, but intimidating. He was older and definitely more experienced. "What if he doesn't like me, Cheria?" She moaned, burying her face in her hands. "How far have you gone?"

"Umm…he's seen my boobs, but we've never gone farther than that. It felt amazing, so I'm sure his mouth down below will feel even better."

Cheria was crimson red in the face talking about this with her best friend, not understanding why it embarrassed her so much. Sex was part of life. It created life and brought feelings out in people; factor in the intimacy as well.

"What about you? What have you and Mr. Samoan Adonis been doing?"

"Kissing and some uh - heavy petting is what my Mom would call it."

Sure, they told each other nearly everything, but this - this was new territory for them both. Monique felt some weight leaving her. Weight she hadn't known she carried; being able to share with her best friend helped.

"I can tell he wants more, but he's a gentlemen about it. And he's pretty freaked out about my age." That was a given. "I think he feels like a pervert sometimes."

"Jon feels the same way." Cheria heaved a sigh, leaning her head against her hand while her elbow rested on the desk. "Even though I'm only a few months away from turning 18, I know it still bothers him and I wish there was something I could do to ease his mind about it. But there isn't. Just makes me wonder why he's wasting his time on a 17 year old kid when he can have any woman in the Tampa Bay area, or the world even." She hoped Monique felt the same way she did regarding Joe or else she'd feel like a big fish out of water.

"No shit. Jon's a good looking guy, Joe is too." Monique had definitely not missed that about either men. They were gorgeous! She knew they had their choice in women - gorgeous women. "I mean, I know I'm not ugly and I hope I'm not done filling out yet, but damn... he can do so much better than me." She leaned her head until it rested against Cheria's, smiling slightly. "Jon would be a fool not to want you. He better know how lucky he is to have you or I'll have to hurt him."

"Well the same sentiment goes for Joe. You are gorgeous from head to toe and, if he doesn't know how lucky he is to have you, he's out of his mind and I will hurt him if he hurts you."

They were sisters first and foremost, closer than friends. It didn't matter if the Samoan was Jon's best friend or not. Cheria would do everything in her power to protect Monique from getting hurt by Joe if he so much as tried breaking her heart.

"Just don't wear your heart on your sleeve and take things slow. That's what Jon and I have been doing." There was no way she'd reveal the fact they were probably consummating their relationship on Prom night, not wanting to freak Monique out.

"Trust me, I am trying my best not to get too attached. I know how this works. First romance, major thing, emotionally wrecking, possibly scarring…I'm trying to avoid as much of that as I can." Monique knew that she would fail miserably. Joe was sweet, funny, sexy as sin and those deep grey eyes... she shivered. "Can I ask you something?" When Cheria nodded, she took a deep breath. "Do you love Jon? I mean, I know what you said about not wearing your heart on your sleeve, but... you two have some serious sparks."

Cheria frowned at the question and lowered her eyes from Monique, fiddling with her fingers in her lap. "Yes. And I know it's only been a couple months, but…when I'm with him, I feel complete. I know that sounds corny as hell to say. I never once felt this way the whole time I dated Curtis, or Bryan, or any of the other jerks I let into my life. They were boys compared to Jon. He's an actual man and all man at that." She sighed wistfully, looking out the window deep in thought. "It's not puppy love. I know I'm only 17 and he's 30, it's a big age gape. But I love him and I'm in love with him. I just don't know how he feels about me; that's why I haven't dropped the L bomb on him yet. I'm scared to be rejected."

"He's a guy." Monique said sagely, which was standard for any guy, of any age, from any background. The L word, dropped too soon, was usually a deal breaker. "Even when they are in love with you, they'd rather beat around the bush then outright admit it." She glanced back at the laptop, navigating away from the forum they had been reading. "How about some soft-core porn? Maybe that's more our speed."

"Alright…"

Monique clicked on a video she found on YouTube, lying about her age since it was an 18 or older access only and they both raised slow brows, tilting their heads. "Okay, so the guy climbs on top of her and she immediately starts orgasming?"

"That doesn't seem right…does it happen that fast?" There were so many questions and she knew Jon had all the answers, but refused to ask him about this. No, Cheria would rather die than embarrass herself further around her boyfriend.

"No, it's not. I think my Mom's trashy romance novels tell it better than this."

Monique shook her head, trying not to imagine what sex would be like without some foreplay. She knew how her body responded when Joe kissed her - when those big hands of his were roaming her fully clothed body. She hoped for that, minus the clothing, before... being poked.

"Our sexual education is sorely lacking and I think we're only confusing ourselves here. We need... an adult who won't embarrass or rat us out."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

That's how they wound up talking to Joe's sister, Summer, who wanted them to come over to sample some hair styles for Prom before the actual big night. This wasn't a good idea. Cheria didn't want to talk to a stranger about her sex life! What the hell was Monique thinking?

"So, I hear you two are having some problems with guys and need advice from a woman." Summer began with a soft smile, toying with Monique's beautiful honey blonde tresses. "Just so you know, Monique, I think your hair would look amazing up in a crown of curls."

Awkward was an understatement, but Monique had talked with Summer a few times. Not about Joe because she was really hoping Summer didn't know anything about her and Joe. She expected Summer's train of thought was they were just idiot teenage girls taking advantage of a kind boss and his equally kind friend. Monique was nice, but... there was no telling how Summer would react to her baby brother fooling around with jailbait.

"Um, thanks." She smiled at Cheria, hoping she didn't get co-cocked later because Cheria looked like she was having second thoughts about requesting Summer's advice on sex. "I don't know how your Prom went, but... I... we - well, there's these guys and..."

Prom night was notorious for being a night of sex. Summer had been there and done that; what teenager hadn't? "And?" She prompted, leaning over to plop a magazine of hairstyles in front of Cheria. "Let me know if you see anything you like, honey."

"And... well," Monique stammered, wondering why she had thought this was such a bright idea in the first place. "How does sex actually work? I mean – I, we, get the mechanics, but it's not just... in and out, 30 seconds flat or... like she's just automatically ready for it? There's gotta be more, right?" She had said all that in a giant garbled sentence, feeling Summer pause for a moment and flushed.

"Don't watch porn, it'll mess you up, Monique. Now, how it really works is..."

Patience, feeling, exploration and something about hitting a sweet spot inside a woman was the gist of the explanation Summer gave them. It sounded like a woman couldn't instantly become wet for a man unless she was really turned on. That was not a problem for Cheria when it came to Jon. She had a feeling the same went for Monique with Joe.

"So it's basically touch and go then?" Cheria inquired, growing more curious by the minute with every word Summer said while she continued fiddling with Monique's hair.

"Yes, but that's not all. We have 3 holes down there and-"

Cheria spit her water out all over the place, coughing. "WHAT?!"

Monique had essentially the same reaction and jerked, which meant her hair got tugged, quickly settling back holding a hand to her sore head. "What... no we don't." She was pretty sure she would remember that one from sexual education in school; she was pretty familiar with her body after all.

"Anus, vagina, and urethra." Summer said patiently, hiding a smile.

"Does the urethra count? That's for... peeing." Monique had never considered that and wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to know how it worked.

"Depends on the guy or girl," Summer amended, not sure what type of sexual preferences these two girls had. "You're with, but I think you two will be fine. Cheria had it right. Touching is key; foreplay, lots of it and don't be afraid to say what feels good and what doesn't or to make suggestions. Sex is natural; it should be fun and feel good, not forced or rushed."

Was it normal for men to want to stick their tongues in the same hole a woman peed out of? That sounded…disgusting! Monique and Cheria shared a look with each other that clearly said they weren't interested in having their…urethras tampered with and listened to what else Summer had to say.

"Okay, I need to ask this question before it burns a hole in my brain. I know there's pain when a woman loses her virginity. Can you - is there any way to describe how it feels so we're more prepared if we decide to give it away?"

That was definitely a major one and Monique was thankful Cheria had asked it.

"Some girls don't feel pain, Cheria." Summer informed her, finally tapping Monique on the shoulder to let her know she was done. She retrieved a fresh bottle of water for all of them before dropping down in the now vacated chair, eyeing the pair of girls. "It might hurt; all women are built differently down there, just like guys are. If he knows what he's doing, he won't rush and something that will really help with any pain or discomfort is being ready - being wet. Look, the pain issue varies from woman to woman and how it's done. It could feel like a burning stretching sensation or it could just feel uncomfortable."

"A burning sensation?"

That made Cheria feel a lot better because she could handle a little burning. Burning was better than pain, it had to be. Jon promised he would make sure she was ready before taking her and she had to believe he wouldn't hurt her intentionally. Trust was a major factor when it came to sex because everything was laid out on the line.

"Thank you, Summer." Cheria murmured softly, walking over to hug the woman followed by Monique. "You've helped us out a lot more than you know. And as far as my hair for Prom, I'd like to leave it down and just curled." Jon loved her hair down, so why bother putting thousands of bobby pins in it just to make it difficult later on that night when they were alone at his place?

"No bling? I've got some really cute head pieces with faux jewels. They just slide in and out." Summer could not picture going to Prom without some fancy done up hair, but... every girl was different.

"Really? Show us."

Monique was one of those girls who liked the glitz and glamor, glad they had gotten the information needed. It wasn't as embarrassing as it could have been and Summer had been upfront and practical without being nosy. She felt like she could get back into enjoy Prom mode now.

"Cheri, this would match your dress..." She was eyeing the assortment Summer had placed out, wondering how much they cost.

"Maybe a little bling, but nothing too fancy."

They wouldn't be at Prom long, didn't Monique understand that? Or maybe she was too into Prom mode she forgot she was spending the night with Joe. Hell, maybe she'd change her mind all together. Not Cheria, she was more certain than ever what she wanted to do Prom night and who she wanted to spend it with. If Jon couldn't come to Prom with her, she would simply bring it to him – dress and all. He made her promise to be completely dolled up and Cheria wouldn't disappoint him. Anything he wanted, she would give. Monique was big on the Prom scene, even if they weren't there very long. There would still be pictures taken and appearances mattered. When she got her yearbook, she wanted to see herself looking as beautiful as possible. That... and she wanted to show Joe she could be a knockout. If that meant breaking out all the stops, she would do it.

"I like this one." Monique tapped the piece. "How much?"

"Tell you what, normally these things retail for about $50. But if you leave me a $20 deposit, I'll rent them to you. Return them in the same condition, you can have your money back. Sound fair?" Summer gathered they wouldn't be at Prom all that long, not if their line of questioning had been any indication and they were sweet girls. "And of course, if anyone asks, you send them my way."

The girls left Summer's house happy as larks, both feeling a lot better about their relationships with Joe, Jon and Prom night. Whatever happened would be taken to the grave for sure. Cheria was all smiles while driving to the shop after dropping Monique off at her place, humming to a song on the radio. It was 3 days until Prom – 3 days she had to decide if she wanted to be with Jon in every way possible that night or not. He would wait for her, he promised, so Cheria decided to take it one step at a time and do what felt natural. She walked into the shop and immediately got to work, trying to push everything else in the far back of her mind. When the bell rang an hour later, Cheria looked up and raised a slow brow at the sight of Curtis Hussey along with his father, Dirk, eyes widening slightly. What the hell was HE doing here?

"Good afternoon, how may I help you, sir?" Cheria had to stay professional, ignoring Curtis and kept her eyes focused on his father.

Obviously, Dirk knew Cheria since she briefly dated his son. Though he had no idea why they had broken up. Curtis had given him some 'it was just a thing' line and that had been the end of the conversation, but Dirk hadn't been able to deny the pair had made an attractive couple.

"Cheria, I didn't know you worked here." Dirk smiled down at her warmly, glancing at Curtis. "Did you?"

"Nope." Curtis grinned broadly, pleasantly surprised to find out what Cheria's new job was since she no longer worked at the flower shop with the O'Heary's. "Lookin' good, Cherry."

"I just need an alignment done and the fluids checked."

Jon walked in, nodding at the guy and the... kid eyeballing Cheria like she was a piece of meat. "Cher, when you get a moment, give Mrs. Woo a ring and let her know her car is done. An alignment, is that what I heard?"

"Yeah, I can bring the car around if now is a good time? Curt, would you give her the information please?" Dirk passed his wallet to his son. "I'll be right back."

Cheria wanted to say something, anything, to keep Jon in the office with her, not wanting to be alone with Curtis, but it was no use. He was gone with Dirk before she could open her mouth to speak. "Don't." She ordered as soon as he began leering at her and turned to face the computer, thankful there was a high desk separating them. Only Jon and Joe could come through the small door on the side – a door Curtis had no knowledge of. "Same address and everything?"

Not wanting to lose her job because of her slimy ex-boyfriend, Cheria kept her tone even and professional. Clicking the boxes for alignment and fluid check, she printed out the receipt for Dirk to sign and set it aside, continuing to type while Curtis stared dark holes through her. One way or another, Curtis would get what he wanted and take the silver haired bitch to the Prom, whether she liked it or not. Until he was done with her, just as he said when he decided to get pussy elsewhere since she refused to put out, Cheria belonged to him. That little stunt she pulled in the high school cafeteria with Monique hadn't been smart and Curtis planned on making her pay for it the moment they were alone at Prom.

"What time should I pick you up for Prom, Cherry?" Curtis asked, leaning against the desk and smirked when she finally looked at him, not missing the disgust that flashed through those gorgeous eyes of hers. "Come on, you know you miss me." Curtis leaned forward, his eyes taking in her attire. "You miss our little moments, you know you do."

Little moments for sure, she had not given up the goods, the prude. That didn't mean he would stop bugging her until she caved. It wasn't over until he said it was. Apparently, her message in the cafeteria and embarrassing him hadn't been enough of a warning to Curtis. Then again, he never did learn the meaning of the word no.

"I'm not going to Prom with a scumbag like you, Curtis. Get it through your head. I want nothing to do with you – ever. Go get your kicks with Danielle since that's where you really want to be. Or did she dump you for Adam? I bet she did and now you're crawling back to me after cheating on me with her all because you wouldn't wait until I was ready to have sex. Well guess what? I found someone else - someone who understands me, supports me, accepts me and will wait for me until I'm ready to go all the way with him. So take your idle threats and shove them up your-" Cheria immediately stopped talking when the door opened with Jon and Dirk entering, handing over the receipt for the older man to sign.

Curtis was all smiles as his Dad signed the receipt, blowing Cheria a kiss while heading for the door. "So, an hour before Prom, right? So we can get our pictures in? I'll even spring for your corsage, green right?" He smirked, knowing she couldn't say anything right now, not with her boss right there. Cheria would cave, he would see to it. Sheer persistence was on his side. "See you then, Cherry Pie."

Jon had missed something, his current ice blues narrowed at that little punk's back as he and his old man left.

"That son of a bitch!" She hissed angrily, clenching the armrests on her chair so tight her knuckles turned ghostly white, tears springing to her eyes. How could Curtis do that in front of Jon?! "Excuse me."

Rushing out of the office outside to her car, Cheria had to take a break and knew Jon wouldn't follow her because he had vehicles to work on with Joe. It surprised the hell out of her when he joined her 5 minutes later and the tears wouldn't stop pouring from her eyes down her cheeks. Cheria couldn't look at him, keeping her forehead pressed to the steering wheel and felt Jon's hand rub her back soothingly, trying to calm her down. She wanted to kill Curtis Hussey, wishing he would just take a hint and leave her alone.

"I'm not going to Prom with him. He thinks I am because he's a scumbag and doesn't know the meaning of the word 'no'. That's the one I told you about – my ex-boyfriend. That was him and before you ask, I don't know what I was thinking being with someone like that."

Jon took a second to remember what Cheria told him about her ex and shook his head in disgust. He hadn't even spoken to the prick and got the immediate impression the boy's balls were bigger than his brains. Not a good thing in most circumstances, especially when it came to Cheria. He would not judge her for dating that... boy; they were teenagers and Curtis had more than likely managed to be charming for a little while. 

"He giving you problems, Cher?" Jon asked, trying to keep his voice level and calm. "Outside of what I just witnessed?"

"Yes, but I thought I had it handled. I didn't wanna burden you with it since he's a minor and you're an adult." Cheria knew that sounded bad as soon as it came out of her mouth, groaning and tapped her forehead repeatedly against the steering wheel. "He keeps demanding me to go to Prom with him, asking what time he should pick me up and everything. I don't know how he knows what color my dress is either because the only one who does know is Monique…and you. She wouldn't tell him. She hates his guts, actually." Curtis must've eavesdropped on one of their conversations right after purchasing the dresses. "Just – look don't worry about it, okay? I never should've lost it like this at work. I'm sorry." Cheria opened the door and stepped out of the car, wiping her tears away.

Jon followed her, sighing because there was nothing he could do that wouldn't look awkward to anyone who saw them together currently. "Cheria wait." He ordered, watching as she came to a halt and walked until he stood in front of her. "I didn't see you lose it. And if you did, I'm not saying a thing. It sounds like he deserved it." Reaching for the bandana he kept in one of his pockets, a clean one, Jon used it to mop the tears off her face. "And I don't care if he is a minor, it sounds like he needs his ass beat and some respect pounded into his skull. No means no."

"Go back to work, Jon. I'm fine. I just…I need a minute to clean myself up, okay? I'm sorry."

Handing the bandana back to him, she walked the rest of the way inside the shop and went straight to the bathroom.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

This was something Jon couldn't fix, no matter how hard he tried. Cheria was over Curtis, but now he was pursuing her and it honestly scared her. The last thing she wanted to happen was him showing up at the house while her Uncle and Aunt were home. They were not a couple and they were not dating – definitely not going to Prom together either! 15 minutes later, Cheria finally walked out looking refreshed and got back to work, hoping Jon wasn't upset with her for needing sometime alone.

Jon was upset, and Joe knew it because he had his music blasting as loud as it could go and he was painting. Jon hated painting. It gave him headaches. Hell, it gave everyone headaches, but Jon painted when he was upset. Something about it going faster when he was working out the frustration.

"Okay, what's wrong? You were fine 20 minutes ago."

Jon sighed, wondering if now would be a good time to confess that he was a bad, bad man.

By the time the shop closed, it was a little after 9 PM and Cheria stayed since she'd taken a longer break than usual earlier, thanks to Curtis. She called Aunt Betty to let her know what happened and of course her Aunt tried consoling her over the phone. Cheria assured she was fine and hung up, submerging herself in work to get her mind off of everything. When the door opened from the shop and Jon walked out, –Joe had left an hour ago- Cheria glanced up at him and shut the company computer down, grabbing her purse out of the drawer. If he wanted to talk to her, he would have to be the first one to speak because Cheria honestly didn't know what to say after her crying jag earlier.

Sighing, Jon finished unbuttoning the blue work shirt he had pulled on when he had started painting, not about to take those fumes home with him. Once it was off and he was left in his beater, he tossed it into a plastic bag and tied it up, planning on eventually washing it. Finally, he turned to look down at Cheria, knowing she had been off ever since Curtis, not that he blamed her. Hell, he had been too and he didn't even know the entire situation. All Jon knew was what she had told him and what he had seen.

"You gonna be all right?" He watched Cheria push away from the desk and stood up. "Is he going to bother you more, Cher?" Because he would put a stop to that right quick, having the little roach's address in his company computer now.

"I hope not." Cheria mumbled, readjusting the strap of her purse over her shoulder and made sure the small door connected to the huge desk closed all the way. No sooner did she step out into the open, Jon backed her into the nearest wall with intense pale blues boring into troubled emerald. "I'm sorry…about earlier. I didn't mean to push you away."

She'd been a downright bitch to him earlier because of Curtis Hussey and hated herself for it, wanting to make it up to Jon somehow. All he tried to do was help her and Cheria didn't let him. She reached up to caress his face, knowing he'd already locked the main door so nobody could walk in and the blinds were drawn. They were alone in the office, the way out going through the garage and the door locked from the inside to prevent entry. Jon didn't take any chances when it came to possible burglary.

"Promise me you won't do anything and you'll let me handle this. If I need your help with the asshole, I will ask for it. Alright?"

Jon hesitated, usually not fine with promising things he couldn't, or wouldn't, be able to do. Or in this case, stop himself from doing. He got her attitude earlier and hadn't considered her being a bitch or anything. Jon probably wouldn't have wanted anyone around if he were dealing with a similar situation and would need a moment or two to chill. This was one promise Jon may break if he caught that little punk on the streets, though that was highly unlikely. He seriously doubted he frequented the same spots as some high school miscreant. Pulling Cheria into his arms, Jon dropped a kiss on the crown of her head.

"All right, darlin'."

"Thank you, baby."

Cheria breathed a huge sigh of relief, snuggling against him and didn't mind the paint fumes scent on his clothes. If anything, she found it a little tantalizing and began nuzzling his t-shirt covered chest, squeezing his waist more. She looked up at him, accepting a soft kiss and caressed the back of his neck. Jon was the only man she wanted to be with, nobody else, especially the likes of Curtis Hussey. He wasn't a quarter of the man – no more like 1/8th of the man Jon was. The way Jon kissed her made Cheria's toes curled and her entire body engulfed in flames. Curtis didn't make her feel this way, this heated and Cheria's animal inside was clawing its way to the surface, begging to be released.

"Have you ever had a girl in your office after hours, boss?" She asked once the kiss broke, ghosting her mouth across his strong jaw.

That was not a question she should be asking him, not while they were in an intimate moment. Jon didn't think twice about answering it, even though it had sent a little, somewhat pleasurable, shock of surprise through him. "No. Not _yet._" He rumbled, making it very clear that it was temporary, he would eventually fix that.

Lifting Cheria by the waist, Jon deposited her on the desk. It was tall, but he was taller and he smirked when she smiled up at him, reaching out to trace a finger along her cheek, down to her jaw line. Thinking back to her conversation with Summer, Cheria knew the only way to become comfortable with the idea of having sex was practicing foreplay. Foreplay lead to sex – they went hand-in-hand. Patience was another and so was exploration. Cheria wasn't in a hurry rush home, not when she had this beautiful man in front of her between her legs. He was eyelevel with her sitting on the desk, making them somewhat equal.

"We could fix that, Cher."

"I should start calling you, Boss Daddy." She purred, taking his finger and sucked it in her mouth, letting it slide all the way inside until she reached the knuckle before releasing it, nipping the tip lightly with her teeth. "So what do you plan on doing with your employee? I do believe this is considered sexual harassment, but I won't tell if you won't."

Jon snorted quite audibly at that, gently but firmly placing his hands on her shoulders and pushing her backwards, until she was bracing herself on her own hands or risking falling into the monitor. "It's only sexual harassment when you don't like it, Cheria." He practically growled, leaning down until his body nearly covered her tiny frame, careful not to touch her though. "What does my employee want me to do to her, hmm?" Lowering his head, Jon feathered his lips against hers before moving to her neck, licking, sucking and nipping his way down, careful not to leave any marks. "Come on Cher, tell me what you want me to do to you..."

His hands were on her knees, though not for long, skimming up her thighs squeezing gently. Her thighs trembled against the touch of his large hands and Cheria tried not to let the nervousness get the best of her. It was hard after what she researched with Monique on the internet from hardcore to soft-core porn and the conversation with Summer. She wanted to experience what foreplay really felt like though and knew the only way to do it was physically. When it came to Jon, he enjoyed her being vocal and Cheria didn't want to disappoint him. If he wanted to know what she truly wanted from him, telling him was the only option.

"I want to feel what foreplay is like." It was a good thing she wore a skirt today – easy access for him. "Touch me and taste me, Jon…" Screw Curtis Hussey and everyone else at the moment, the only person on her mind being the man standing in front of her with semi-shock filled darkening blue eyes. "Show me I have nothing to be afraid of, that's what I want you to do…"

If Jon had thought he had problems before, he was mistaken. His sweet innocent Cheria... had just gotten him impossibly hard and he felt like he would explode. Groaning, he moved them both, finally sitting down in the abandoned desk chair since realistically, he wouldn't be able to kneel. Turning Cheria towards him after carefully moving the monitor, keyboard and other items that would only be in their way, Jon focused on the task at hand. His hands returned to her knees, parting her thighs wider and Jon offered a silent prayer heavenward before flashing her a wicked smirk, bending down to get the taste he had been dying for. Right on the desk – the same desk she worked at on a daily basis – Cheria felt her very first orgasm ripple throughout her body. It was indescribable and made stars explode beneath her closed eyelids.

Jon removed her panties and pushed the skirt up to bunch around her hips, pulling her until her backside rested on the edge of the desk. Her legs draped over his broad shoulders and Cheria was completely at his mercy, crying out at how amazing his tongue felt against her slightly hairy, but trimmed sex. The tightening in her lower abdomen is what scared her out of the whole experience because it was foreign to her. Cheria was afraid of it, the fear mixed with desire in her eyes and Jon had to coach her through it, coaxing her to let go. What did that mean? She soon found out and a wave of pleasure washed over her, through every nerve-ending of her body. Her hot juices flowed freely from her body into Jon's mouth as he lapped and drank from her greedily. The grip on the desk loosened and Cheria collapsed back on it, trying to cool herself off, but Jon had other plans.

"J-Jon, w-what are you…Ohh…"

Her eyes nearly rolled in the back of her head when one of his fingers slid inside of her, hips bucking against the invasion. If this is what foreplay was for a woman, Cheria had zero complaints and craved more of it. This was only a small fraction of foreplay, contrary to a lot of men's opinions of a few licks then the dick. Jon was a firm believer in wringing every ounce of pleasure he could from his partners before showing them there was much more. Of course, if he had his way, Cheria would be his only partner, for as long as they could manage it. He looked up into her face, taking note of how flushed she was, her closed eyes and she looked... enchanting. Slowly, he added a second finger, letting her get an idea of what was to come and could only imagine how Cheria would feel wrapped around his cock. She was so damn tight. Flicking his tongue against her clit, Jon used his free hand to hold onto her and felt her body quiver.

The second finger added was when the burning sensation Summer had talked about took over. The pleasure far outweighed the pain, but Jon had to be careful due to how long his fingers were. He could easily break through her virginal barrier if he drove them too far inside of her. It was one of the things she learned on the internet with Monique, both of them also recalling reading something about having their 'cherries' popped. What the hell was a cherry? Why did they call part of a woman's anatomy a piece of fruit? Cheria swallowed hard, gripping her hair with her hands to fight the urge to stop Jon from what he was doing. She writhed on the desk, still at his mercy and gasped at the feeling of both his fingers and tongue pleasuring her at the same time. Heavy breathing, uncontrollable moaning that turned to hoarse cries resonated throughout the building. Hopefully, the entire block didn't hear her and Cheria wondered if the walls were thick enough to withhold what currently transpired between them.

Honestly, Jon hadn't given two thoughts to the hymen issue because she said she was virgin and he believed her. He was also wise enough to know that most women broke their own hymens with things like gymnastics, cheerleading or whatever. Jon was careful because he wasn't about to test out her depths with his fingers, wanting to use his cock to explore them. When he felt her inner muscles spasm around his fingers, he knew she was about to climax again and crooked his fingers, feeling for that one spot that would make her shatter. When he found it, Jon crooked his finger in a 'come here' gesture with his fingertips. He had to pull his face away; she was rocking her hips almost violently and he used his thumb to stimulate her, replacing the loss of his tongue.

"Cum for me, Cheria." He urged, wanting to squeeze another orgasm from her, tracing his tongue along her lower lip tempted to let her taste herself.

"O-Okay…" She stammered breathlessly, locking eyes with him and tasted the salty sweet essence on lips the moment he kissed her.

It was her own fluid; she was tasting herself on his tongue and it was…strangely erotic. Gripping his strong arms while he continued pumping his fingers and curling them inside of her, Cheria couldn't hold back any longer, the hot coil in her abdomen threatening to spring free. It was her orgasm and she knew better than to fight it off this time, gasping into Jon's mouth. Seconds later, hot fluid flowed from her body a second time to coat his fingers and Jon swallowed her scream of pleasure, their tongues sliding against each other's while Jon's fingers rode out her second orgasm. Her fingers slid through his curls and tightened her grip; Jon broke the kiss several minutes later and nuzzled her neck, letting Cheria regulate her breathing again.

"Wow…" That was all she could say at the moment.

"Yeah, wow." Jon echoed, resting his head against hers, feeling his own heart pounding in his chest keeping time with the pulsating in his pants. She had exploded and he raised his hand up, meeting her eyes when she looked at him, licking his fingers clean one at a time. "Mmm..." He purred, finally kissing the top of her head and stepped back, needing a moment to calm down before Prom night happened here and now.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Wait." Cheria grabbed his hand, the clean one, to stop him from getting too far away from her. "Come back here, we're not finished yet." She saw the confusion filter his eyes and smiled, sliding off the desk on trembling legs, somehow managing to push him to sit back in the chair. "It can't just be about me, you know. Needs to be about both of us. That's what foreplay is, right? Exploring each other's bodies? You may have to walk me through this and let me know if I'm not doing something right." Then her hand reached up to unsnap the button on his jeans and slid his zipper down, trying to free the current bulge pressed against the confined material.

"Cher..." Jon was close to stuttering, watching her tiny hand work to free his very fervent cock.

He reached down to stop her, not wanting Cheria to feel like she had to do this - to return the favor. It had been a no-strings attached situation; something he had been dying to do since the moment their eyes met. Besides, Jon wanted this, all of it, to be pressure free for the silver haired beauty.

"You don't have to. I don't-" The words died on his lips when she kneeled before him, his cock now springing proudly free of its confines and watched her face. He wasn't exactly normal sized. "Cheria..."

The size of him was something Cheria did not expect and she was a little intimidated, but it wouldn't stop her from pleasuring him. She had to get used to this. Foreplay was part of the experience and she didn't want to be scared come Prom night. Cheria flashed him a reassuring smile and gently ran her fingertips down the length of his erection, admiring it for a moment. Jon was well-trimmed and groomed in all areas of his body, so that was a definite relief. The last thing she wanted to do was choke on his pubic hair while trying to pleasure him. When her thumb brushed across the top of his dick, Jon shuddered against her touch and Cheria scooted closer, beginning to stroke him with her hand.

"If I hurt you, let me know…"

Jon was glad he had taken some time to do some manscaping, even if he hadn't been expecting this, not anytime soon anyway. He snorted at her comment about hurting him, doubting she would or could. Cheria had a heart of pure gold, but she also had an evil streak to her. Jon leaned back in the chair, watching her tiny hand moving up and down slowly on his throbbing shaft, her thumb caressing the tip of him. He had to fight the urge to let his head slump backwards, wanting to watch every second of this.

"Fuck, Cheria!" He hissed when her touch became firmer, trying to keep his hips from bucking.

Putting his mouth on her private area had all been Jon's idea, but it wouldn't be fair if Cheria didn't reciprocate the notion and hoped she didn't gag. That would kill the mood between them for sure. "Does my baby feel good?" Cheria purred, stroking him a little harder and saw a hint of liquid forming on the tip of his cock, flicking her tongue out to brush it away.

Salty yet not a disgusting taste either. It almost tasted like a salted spongy pretzel. Taking a deep breath, Cheria slowly and carefully lowered her mouth to seal around his cock, only able to get half of it inside. The tip hit the back of her throat and Cheria shut her eyes, savoring the moment of pleasuring her man. Practice was the only way she would prevail doing this; talking and researching only went so far when it came to sex and foreplay. Gripping the sides of the chair so he didn't take her by the hair, she definitely wasn't ready for that. Some women tended to get testy about their hair. He hadn't been expecting her to really do this and feeling her mouth wrapped around him, her tongue exploring him... Jon was going to explode. She didn't need instructions; Cheria was doing a hell of a job all on her own and his body was giving her cues as to what he liked.

"Careful, Cher..." Jon croaked out, not wanting her to gag.

Without realizing it, Cheria began moving her mouth up and down his hard length, gripping his pant covered thighs for leverage and stayed focused. The way Jon responded to what she did told Cheria she was doing everything right so far. She did her best to keep her teeth from scrapping him, but it was hard considering how long and thick he was. It made her wonder how he was supposed to fit inside of her small body, her heart breaking a little at the fear of them being incompatible in bed together. Shaking that thought out of her mind, Cheria knew she was being ridiculous thinking Jon couldn't fit inside of her because a woman's body was a powerful tool. It stretched to accommodate any size and girth; she had to remember that. Right now, all she wanted to do was feel Jon's orgasm and make him explode the same way he made her. Considering Jon had been living off his hand for the past few months, he would climax sooner than he wanted. Jon could remember some scene in a stupid movie where a chick had been plastered to the ceiling via sperm. He was pretty certain he could do that tonight.

"Cheria..." His voice was nothing but a harsh growl at this point. "I'm going to cum." He gave her fair warning, unable to keep his hips from arching forward anymore.

Nodding to acknowledge she heard him, Cheria never stopped bobbing her head and could feel his thighs tensing beneath her hands. Every time his cock drove into her mouth and hit the back of her throat, it was one step closer to what she ultimately wanted. Her hands moved to his and their fingers laced together on the armrests, Cheria's jaw turning sore from how long she'd been doing this. They didn't call it a blowjob for nothing indeed, that much was true. Breathing through her nose was something she had to get used to as well since his cock took over all of her mouth. A few minutes later, a guttural raspy roar escaped Jon and Cheria shut her eyes, feeling his seed spill into her mouth splashing the back of her throat. She shuddered, swallowing him whole since there was nowhere else for the seed to go and Cheria didn't pull back until he went limp in her mouth, sucking a little on the tip for good measure.

"Shit Cher, don't... do that..." Jon groaned, the tip a bit sensitive at the moment.

That was an area loaded with nerves and they were currently having spark issues, her extra teasing not helping. In fact, it drove his already overly sensitive areas into overdrive. When she did it one more time, he convulsed, hands clamping on Cheria's shoulders and managed a barking laugh.

"Woman, you're going to kill me." He exhaled slowly, pressing his head to hers. "And I can't say that's a bad thing."

Cheria chuckled at his breathless state and rose to her feet enough to straddle his lap in the chair, capturing his mouth in a slow passionate kiss. Now they were tasting each other on their tongues. Again, it was erotic and made her want more, the foreplay definitely fueling her fire further than it already was.

"Don't die on me yet, Boss Daddy. I've got a lot more where that came from." She mumbled against his mouth, ghosting her lips across his, on his nose and cheeks before finally nuzzling his neck to give Jon a moment to breathe properly. "Was it okay or do I need to work on anything?"

"Babe, if you get anymore 'okay', you might actually kill me." Jon stated truthfully when he could talk properly without tripping over his own tongue or choke for air, shaking his head at her smile. "Sex shouldn't be about work, Cher. It's what comes natural and feels right." What just happened had definitely felt right, no two ways about it. "Boss Daddy, huh?" So she had been serious about calling him that, and it didn't sound too bad. Jon could possibly get used to it. "Just don't call me that around Joe; he'd never let me live it down."

"You got it." Cheria pulled back to softly brush her mouth against his and shifted a little, her shy side peeking out at Jon's groan. "What happened tonight did feel natural and right. I promise you that, baby."

She rubbed her nose against his gently before sliding off his lap to rise to her feet, holding onto the desk when her thighs trembled. Even after all the time she'd spent calming down while pleasuring Jon and driving him crazy, they still hadn't gone back to normal from his devour fest. It made Cheria wonder if that would be the reaction every time Jon went down on her.

"Need help getting up?" Giggling softly, Cheria took Jon's extended hand and squealed when he lifted her up over his shoulder to smack her backside. "Jon!"

"I got it, darlin'." He smirked, palming her luscious backside and carted her to the bathroom, figuring she would want to rinse her mouth out. Cheria had swallowed and bless her for that, but... Jon would not delude himself into thinking she had enjoyed it. "I'm gonna go grab my shit out of the back." He let her slide down his body until her feet touched the floor. "You hungry?" Because Jon was, still craving his nicotine. "I know an out of the way place." Where they wouldn't be asked any questions.

"Famished; sounds good to me."

Cheria had no plans to wash her mouth out because she enjoyed the taste Jon offered, surprisingly. Sperm was full of protein, according to the research her and Monique did, so in a way she'd just had her dose of protein for the night and enjoyed every second of it. Pulling her panties back on under the skirt, after cleaning up a bit below, Cheria looked up when the door to the bathroom opened again and Jon looked a lot better. Less tense, if anything.

"Lead the way, Boss Daddy." Smacking his backside on the way out, Cheria laughed when Jon growled at her and hurried out to the garage. "I'll follow you? Or do you wanna ride together?"

Jon felt some serious weight was gone from his ballasts and his balance was a little off, but nothing he couldn't handle. He enjoyed a cigarette and used his and Joe's little station to clean himself up a bit. Personal hygiene was important and he wouldn't go around with his own leavings dried to himself.

"We can ride together, if you want. Come get your car afterwards." Jon glanced at the clock, taking note of the time. "Do you need to give Betty and Roy a call? Let them know you'll be late?"

"Already taken care of." Cheria waved her phone at him. "Called and texted while you were cleaning yourself up. Monique is covering for me. Come on, I'm hungry after that extensive workout we gave each other."

Walking out of the building with Jon, she hopped up into his truck and immediately snuggled against his side, his arm wrapped around her while he drove with the other hand. The tension was temporarily gone between them and Cheria sighed in contentment, enjoying spending time with Jon even if it was late at night. They stopped at the diner to grab a quick bite to eat, sneaking small touches and glances with each other in case someone they knew walked inside. After eating their fill, Jon dropped Cheria back at the shop to grab her car and she promised to call him when she got home, giving him one last lingering kiss.

"Try to get some sleep tonight, okay? You look like you need it."

"Darlin', you've worn me out. I'll sleep like the dead." Jon assured her, pretty sure that was true.

His body had ached for her practically from day one and, now that he had gotten a taste, he could use a respite until that taste was no longer enough. So... tomorrow, he would be back to square one. He wrapped her in his arms, pulling her against him and lay his head on top of hers. Jon wished they didn't have to sneak around like this, but it was only for a few more months.

"Text me when you get home, Cher."

* * *

Prom night had finally arrived. Cheria and Monique had their hair done, manicures and pedicures, the works. Her hair was currently left down in loose banana curls. The dress fit perfectly, her legs soft to the touch after being shaved and then moisturized. The beautiful necklace and earrings Jon bought for her went perfectly with the dress. Hopefully, her look would more than please him and they would have an unforgettable night together. Turning away from the mirror, Cheria slipped into the emerald 2 inch heels that matched the dress flawlessly. Taking a deep breath, Cheria left her room and headed downstairs to do pictures with her family and Monique. Then they would head out to make their appearances before meeting up with the men in their lives.

Tonight would be impeccable.

Monique was downstairs bantering with Roy and Betty. She had known them all her life and almost felt like part of the family at this point. It amused the older couple to no end that the girls were taking each other to Prom. When Betty asked why she didn't have a date, Monique told her mostly the truth. The boys at school just didn't interest her. That and she was hoping she had herself a man already in Joe.

"There's my gorgeous date!" She beamed when Cheria came downstairs, her mouth dropping. "Wow, those legs!"

Betty had been mildly concerned that her niece may have been a lesbian, but... no. Cheria and Monique were just really close and most of the time too mature for the boys in their age group. "You look beautiful, Cheri."

Roy cleared his throat, not about to cry, leaving that to Betty. "All right girls, pictures."

"I wouldn't want to share this moment with anyone else except you, sissy." Cheria murmured while they took pictures, smiling with their arms around each other in different poses. Even a few were funny and silly.

Afterwards, they headed out to Monique's vehicle and drove away toward the venue in downtown Tampa. "So, what's the chances of people thinking we're lesbians?"

Both of them giggled, tempted to make people actually believe it. They were strictly for men, it wouldn't work. Pulling up to the venue a half an hour later –traffic was a bitch– the girls stepped out together and walked inside arm-in-arm with grins on their faces.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Strictly for men was true, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be the targets of some vicious gossip and lies. That was just how high school worked. Monique wasn't dumb enough to think otherwise and neither was Cheria. She also knew Cheria would be a major target. Being a cheerleader was one thing, but quitting the squad instantly put her on the black list of popularity. Not to mention, she had dated one of the most popular boys in school and quit him too when she found him shacked up in bed, at his house of all places, with a fellow cheerleader, Danielle. Now Cheria came to prom with another girl and no doubt the rumors would fly.

"I don't know if I trust this. Think it's been spiked?"

"Yeah, more than likely. Come on, let's just stick with the canned soda."

She had gone out of her way to ignore him. His calls, his notes, his texts... hell, he had even left a message with her Aunt Betty and still nothing. Cheria was playing hard to get and Curtis was no longer amused. He had come alone, bragging that he would leave with the hottest chick at the end of the night and he had just spotted her, eyes narrowing.

Cheria stuck to Monique like glue, ignoring the glances they received and linked her arm with her best friend. "I can't wait to leave and really start our night." She murmured loud enough for only Monique to hear, both of them nodding in agreement. "I do admit, I wouldn't mind seeing him in a tux. What about you? How are things going?"

They had to pass the time by somehow and talking about their secret men inconspicuously would do. Monique smiled, shrugging her shoulders and took in the gym. She hadn't really expected this level of... tacky. The girls had once been on the committee that planned all of the school events, including dances, but it had been too much of a headache. Neither of them had been up for continuing the popularity game. They had done that for most of high school and, after a while, the act of it all became extremely exhausting.

"Good, I think. We haven't really had much time together. My Mom's been keeping me home a lot more lately. You know how she gets with the whole 'my baby is growing up, we must bond' thing. How about you? Anything... new?"

Telling Monique what transpired between her and Jon a few nights ago after work in the shop's office wasn't an option. Cheria felt her thighs tingling at the thought of it happening again and shook her head, sipping her canned soda while looking around the place. This was too corny for words. Under the Sea, really? They could've come up with something much better had they been on the committee.

"You will have ample time together tonight. So glad it's Friday too." Saturday Jon opened the shop at 11 AM instead of 9, so they didn't have to go to bed early tonight…or ever. Cheria could sleep when she was dead. "What do you think? Another 15 minutes and then split?"

"Sounds good to me, I feel like I should've came as Ariel... or that octopus witch. What was her name again?" Monique looked very forward to spending time with Joe, also very nervous. She was also a bit jealous of Cheria's new learning experience since it sounded hot. "Oh my... what is Danielle wearing? Seriously... that is-" She couldn't even finish her sentence. "Oh look, your stalker is across the room." Monique waved 3 fingers at Curtis before flipping him off. "He needs a life."

"Aunt Betty said he's called every day 3 times while I'm at work and the flowers he sent I immediately tossed." Cheria wished Curtis would get the damn hint and leave her alone already. "He can stalk me all he wants. I'm not going back to him. I already have a man in my life."

She smiled at the thought of Jon and rolled her eyes when Curtis waved back at them, blatantly ignoring him. When Curtis tried moving toward them, Monique and Cheria moved to the other side of the room toward the back exit. They instructed Joe and Jon to pick them up at different times because the men didn't know each other's secret yet.

"I've had enough of this, let's head out."

"Oh wait, one second!"

Monique darted away long enough to 'temporarily borrow' two large conch shells that had been painted in what was really an attractive manner. They were probably the nicest things in the room. Besides, the girls deserved something nice from this lame Prom they spent all day getting ready for.

"Here." She handed one over, grinning as they headed for the door.

Curtis's eyes narrowed as he watched his woman and her lesbian side piece make for the back exit. She was not leaving, not until he said she could.

"I'm not leaving until you do."

"Don't worry about me. He'll be along shortly. Go on, he's waiting for you. And I want details!" They embraced tightly, both scared about tonight, but also excited.

"Thanks for being my date tonight. Good luck with everything."

"You too. Go, he's here."

Cheria stepped back into the shadows while Monique made her way down the long sidewalk to Joe's vehicle, his windows tinted. Jon would be along exactly 10 minutes after Monique left and she pulled her cell phone out to text him before slipping it back into her purse. Now it was a waiting game. Curtis crept outside, keeping quiet and had watched Monique take off down the sidewalk, obviously bailing. He didn't care what she did, more interested in Cheria and why she remained behind. She was busy with her cell and, just as she slipped it back into her purse, he was there at her side, hands out to take hold of her.

"What're you doing, baby?" Curtis demanded, pushing her back against the wall. "If you wanted to be alone with me, we could have gone somewhere a lot nicer."

"What the hell are you doing, Hussey?" Cheria demanded, standing against the wall with narrowed emerald eyes and folded her arms in front of her chest, wishing Jon would get there. She felt disgusted at Curtis's touch, hating the fact he thought he could still control her. "What part of 'I'm not with you anymore' do you not understand? I hate you. I hate everything about you. You're definitely all boy – no man." Did Cheria tell him she had someone else or keep it to herself? "Go find someone else to spend your Prom night with. I already have plans with someone else."

She should have kept that last bit to herself because Curtis had stopped being amused at this point. "Someone else?" He demanded, reaching out to take her arms, forcing them away from her chest and down to her sides, squeezing a leg between her thighs to prevent her from nailing him in the balls. "Cherry, how many times do I have to tell you, this isn't over until I say so?" Curtis bent down, running his nose along her hairline. "And it's definitely not over. I don't care who you think you're with. He's nothing, got me?"

"Fuck you." Cheria hissed, tears shimmering in her eyes and felt his hand wrap around her throat, beginning to squeeze. "Let go of me!" She croaked out, trying to fight him off, but Curtis was a lot stronger than her. This wasn't supposed to happen, not tonight of all nights! "GET OFF OF ME!" 

Shoving against him as hard as she could, Cheria screamed again when her panties were ripped from her body. His hand went from her neck over her mouth, silencing her screams while Curtis continued assaulting her with his hands, pushing her harshly against the wall. Tears streamed down her cheeks and Cheria screamed out again when his fingers pushed inside of her dry sex, the pain flooding her lower region.

"Fuck me? Really? Well, if you insist."

Curtis smirked, leaning forward to kiss her to muffle her screams as he began working his fingers in her. He frowned after a minute of her trying to bite his lips and nothing had changed. Scowling, he bit down on her lower lip, returning the favor she tried to give him.

"Bitch, this is going to hurt if you don't get into this, you understand me, Cherry? Stop fucking holding out on me!"

Unbeknownst to Curtis, Cheria's cell phone went off in her purse with a text message from her boyfriend.

**I'm here. **

Jon had parked at the end of the street and couldn't see her coming, frowning slightly as he stared down the way. It was damn dark out there and he didn't like the idea of Cheria walking it alone, getting out of his truck to go greet her. Meanwhile, Curtis released her arms and that was the opening Cheria needed. She turned her body to where her side pressed against him, forcing his fingers out of her.

"NO!" She screamed as loud of her could, driving her elbow right into Curtis's face and received a backhand for her troubles. Cheria smacked the brick wall with a sickening thud and slid down it in a heap, holding the side of her throbbing face. "GET OFF OF ME, YOU SLIMY ASSHOLE! I HATE YOU! SOMEONE HELP ME!" If anyone could hear her, it would be a miracle considering the music was thumping loudly inside and there was no one outside except them. "Curtis NO! PLEASE NO!" Raping her at their senior Prom would be a moment Cheria would have to live with for the rest of her life, no matter how hard fought against him. "Please don't do this!"

"You fucking bitch!" Curtis would have a bruise and he was about to slap her again, bringing his hand back for the blow. "You're going to learn to respect me, you fucking SLUT!" His eyes widened when his hand was caught and that was immediately followed by a cracking noise he didn't understand along with immense pain.

"Somebody's going to die tonight, boy." Jon snarled, not caring if he broke that hand.

That hand had struck his Cheria. Jon would break every goddamn finger. He grabbed Curtis Hussey, that little punk who had caused her pain at his shop, away from Cheria, not looking down at her because he knew he would lose his mind if he did. Balling up his massive fist, Jon wrapped his free hand around Curtis's throat and began cutting off the boy's air supply.

"Cheria, can you get up?" His voice was deceptively calm, hand tightening when she whimpered, sorely tempted to snap Curtis's neck.

Cheria nodded, shakily getting to her feet and knew the night was completely ruined, hating Curtis with every fiber of her being. "L-Let him go, Jon." She stammered out, holding her face still and stumbled toward Jon, placing her hand on his arm. "P-Please, h-he's not w-worth it…"

Showing affection toward him would send wrong signals to Curtis, but Cheria didn't care right now. She didn't want Jon going to jail because of her. Monique was having the night of her life and Cheria's had turned into a nightmare because of her ex-boyfriend. All she wanted to do was hurt Curtis as much as he hurt her, wishing Jon could do it, but Curtis was considered a minor for another month. He was only a month and a half older than her, still 17 though.

"I-I need to get out of h-here…"

Jon had heard her and everything inside told him to ignore her and break this little jackass until there was nothing left, until he couldn't ever hurt Cheria again. But... he had promised her and his grip tightened even more. Curtis was slowly turning blue, unable to breathe. Finally, Jon managed to open his hand, letting Curtis crash to the pavement below. He crouched down, pale blue eyes nothing but slits of ice by now.

"You ever, and I mean ever, go near her again... Hell, if you even look at her, I'm going to finish this. You understand me, boy?"

Curtis managed a weak nod.

"You owe her your life, because, if not for her, I'd fucking kill you right now. I don't care how old you are or how untouchable you think you are. You're not and, if I change my mind... if I decide I want to reach out and fuck you up, I will." Jon bent down until his face was directly in Curtis's, reaching out to run his fingers through Curtis's hair, feeling the boy cringe. "Got me?"

"Y-yes."

"Good boy."

Jon pushed himself upright and turned towards Cheria. A surge of anger coursed through Cheria and she pushed past Jon to kick Curtis right in the face, knocking him out hopefully breaking his nose too. She felt Jon take her face in his strong hands to look over the bruising on her cheek and placed her hand over his, fresh tears falling.

"Thank god you were here." The appearance she wanted Jon to see had been destroyed by Curtis and she would never forgive him for it. "I-I'm so sorry; I didn't t-think he would try…" Cheria couldn't finish the sentence, burying her face in his chest and clung to Jon for dear life, trembling violently.

"Don't Cheria," Jon soothed, rubbing her back and caressed her hair, anything to calm both of them down. "Don't apologize, it wasn't you. It's not your fault." His gaze landed on something small, something on the pavement and he focused on it, finally realizing what it was and cold fury washed through him. "Did he...?" His voice had changed, hovering between panic and anger. "Cher, did he touch you?" It was obvious the kid had. "Cheria, did-?"

Releasing her abruptly, Jon began pacing back and forth, running a hand through his hair and turned to stare down at the unconscious Curtis. He was going to kick Curtis right in the ribs and break them all. Her crying from behind is what stopped him and Jon turned back around, stooping enough to pick her up in his arms heading for the truck.

"I got you, Cher; I got you."

They had to leave now before an actual murder did occur with Curtis Hussey being the victim. Throughout the drive, all Cheria could think about was what happened and how close Curtis had been to taking what didn't belong to him. She kept her eyes staring out the window, trying not to cry. Tonight was supposed to be special and unforgettable. Why did Cheria think Curtis would back off and leave her alone when he kept pestering her about Prom? Underestimating him had been the biggest mistake of her life.

"I'll understand if you want to take me home." She murmured once Jon stopped at a red light, wiping stray tears away from her face and was thankful the makeup had been waterproof, which was Summer's idea.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Jon glanced across the seat at her, taking in what he could from the night time city lights around them. She looked like a hot mess, though... her makeup was still intact. Just another mystery of women he would never understand. Sighing softly, Jon reached out to take her hand in his, squeezing reassuringly to let Cheria know he was there for her.

"I'm taking you home all right, Cher." He said quietly. "My home."

Even if the thought she wouldn't spend the night had crossed his mind, and it hadn't, Cheria was in no condition to see Betty or Roy. This was meant to be a joyous night for her and that little bastard had ruined it. Jon regretted not killing him, but maybe Curtis would take 'no' for face value from here on out.

"Cher, did he... how bad did he hurt you? Do I need to take you to... see someone?"

"No…"

Cheria didn't want to tell him what Curtis did to her. Luckily, he hadn't fully raped her, but it was rape nonetheless. Any contact she didn't want was considered rape. She'd learned that in her sexual education course in high school and on the internet during her research with Monique.

"I'm okay, I don't need to see anyone. He didn't get…too far…"

How were they supposed to have sex tonight after what happened? Could Cheria muster up the courage to do it? She told Jon she was ready and she had been, but now…everything had changed because of Curtis Hussey.

"I fought him off as much as I could. You showed up in the nick of time. Maybe I should start calling you my knight in shining armor." It was a mild joke; there was too much tension in the truck between them. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine."

All Jon could do was stare straight ahead, his face set in stone. Curtis hadn't gotten far, but Jon had seen her panties on the pavement, so that little bastard had gotten far enough. He wasn't upset in regards to sex being off the menu, not caring about that right now. What he DID care about was _her_ and how Cheria was doing right now, knowing emotionally Curtis had destroyed her.

"Let's just worry about you, darlin'."

"I'm with you, so I'm fine now."

Cheria unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted closer to him, wrapping an arm around his waist while snuggling into his side. She wanted to be as close to Jon as possible after what happened. He made her feel safe and that's what Cheria needed more than anything was a security blanket. Jon's arm tightened around her and Cheria shut her eyes to will the fresh tears not to fall, hoping the night wasn't a total loss.

"I wanted you to see me all dolled up the way you wanted to. I'm sorry that got ruined as well."

She was apologizing to him for not being... dolled up. Jon had to wonder what the hell kind of culture was raising these women to think they had to apologize for being brutalized in today's society. "You have nothing to be sorry about." He whispered, planting a quick kiss on the crown of her head, eyes never leaving the road. "You're always beautiful to me." Especially right now.

They arrived at Jon's a few minutes later and Cheria cracked a small smile as he carried her up the stairs to his duplex, laying her shoes in her lap with her arms draped around his neck. It was a standard bachelor pad with a flat screen television, Apple TV – what the hell was that? - and some Blu-ray player. Couch, coffee table, kitchen, 3 bedrooms and she wasn't surprised one of them had been made into his office for the shop. Jon set her down on the couch where Cheria would be comfortable and grabbed a bottled water out of the fridge in case she was thirsty.

"Thank you." She whispered, sipping it slowly because her throat hurt from screaming so much during the attack. "Nice place you have here, baby."

Cheria set the bottled water on the coffee table after another sip with the cap on before turning to face him, hating all the tension marring his handsome face. Apple TV was great; it ranked up there with pizza, beer and sex. However, that was for another time. No sex would happen tonight unless Cheria initiated it, Jon highly doubting it was currently on her mind. He was a man so sex was constantly on his naturally.

"Thanks."

Jon stared at her, taking in her face. He hadn't been able to see it too well earlier, thanks to poor lighting and it being dark out, but now... now he wished he had never bothered with lights at all. Standing, Jon went back to the kitchen to make her an ice pack to bring the swelling down. He also put on the old tea kettle he kept around for his instant coffee, usually too lazy to properly brew up a pot.

"Think you can drink hot water, honey and lemon?" Jon asked over his shoulder, unable to miss just how raspy her voice was. She could have matched him, almost.

Cheria nodded, watching him in the kitchen from where she sat and gingerly touched her face, wincing. "Much rather have something with a high volume of alcohol in it, but that's fine too." She rasped out, taking another sip of water to try getting rid of the soreness in her throat.

Taking the ice pack when Jon rejoined her, Cheria pressed it to her cheek and let out a hiss of pain, shutting her eyes momentarily. Monique would freak out when she saw her face the next day, not to mention her Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy. Then Cheria thought about it, wondering if Jon would mind a house guest for the weekend. No, she didn't want to tempt him any more than she already had or make promises she couldn't keep because of scumbag ex-boyfriends. Her cheek had a small cut on it from Curtis's ring he wore, the area around it bruising heavily. Curtis wasn't a small person by any means, but not as big or tall as Jon.

"Thank you."

Considering she was a minor and he was already committing crimes just by being with her, Jon wasn't looking to add anymore. He wasn't about to let her drink, not after what occurred. "You're welcome, Cher. Once it's gone down, I'll have a look at that cut. You can drink some tea in a few, maybe get a shower if you want?" Jon eyed her, taking in her dress and the jewelry, managing a crooked smile. "You look beautiful."

"No I don't. I did earlier before that asshole decided to attack me." Cheria argued softly, smoothing out the front of her dress and heaved a sigh.

She wanted tonight to be perfect and now they were sitting together acting like strangers. Jon was hesitant to touch her after what happened, not that she blamed him. The cut on her cheek stung, but nowhere near how her heart felt. Cheria knew she would have to make the first move to get anything accomplished tonight. Pushing him back against the couch gently but firmly, Cheria swung her leg over until she sat straddled on his lap, pressing a finger to his lips.

"I'm not made of glass, you know. I don't break easily, Jon. There's only one thing I want you to do for me." Her lips barely brushed his, their breathing both quickening in unison. "Kiss me."

Of all the things she could have asked him for, Jon honestly was not expecting this. She had been viciously attacked; he would have thought this would be the last thing on her mind and he wouldn't have blamed her. But here Cheria was, straddling him asking for a kiss and his mind was officially blown. Jon kissed her, his hands moving to her hips, pulling her into him until her tiny body was pressed as tightly against him as possible, determined to erase all thoughts or traces of Curtis Hussey. It was a relief Jon didn't deny her what she asked for and Cheria instantly returned the kiss, his taste and touch being the only way to erase Curtis Hussey's attack from her memory. Her head lulled back as Jon's mouth slid down her chin to her throat and shoulder, his hand pulling the strap of her dress down to expose the soft flesh. This was the man she wanted to be with tonight, not Curtis.

"Jon…" Cheria rasped out in a throaty rough moan, forcing him to stop what he was doing to look up at her. "Will you help me out of this dress, please?"

How could he say no to that sweet request? Jon gently, carefully moved her from his lap and Cheria stood before him, his eyes running along her lithe frame hungrily. He pushed himself up from the couch and took her hands, pulling her away from the coffee table until there was plenty of room for him to circle around her, admiring her. Jon was almost afraid to touch her, afraid of ruining her somehow. He ran a finger along her arm, up to her shoulders and across her upper back, fingering the strap. Taking his time, Jon began the agonizingly slow process of undressing _his _Cheria, taking his time to kiss and explore the flesh he exposed, making sure to leave the emerald jewelry on.

That was coming off last.

Because the dress already had a built-in bra, there was no need to wear one. Not that Jon knew. The panties had been destroyed, thanks to Curtis, so once the dress was completely off her body, Cheria was exposed to his hungry vision. Every inch of flesh Jon uncovered he made sure to touch with his lips and hands, the dress slowly dropping until it pooled around her feet. Jon stood still behind her, sliding his hands up her silky smooth legs until he reached her hips. It took every ounce of willpower not to cover herself up from him, her breasts more specifically. Cheria sucked in a breath when Jon slowly turned her around to face him, keeping her arms at her sides until he yanked her flush against his body to capture her mouth.

Then her own hands slid up his long strong arms until one gripped his shoulder and the other delved in his unruly curls. The ice and hot beverage was forgotten, both becoming lost in each other and the moment. Undressing her had been one of the most erotic moments in his life, baring each inch of her beautiful skin, finally seeing those curves that had been tormenting him for weeks now. When Cheria had stood before him in all her naked glory, he had to take a moment to learn how to breathe. There were no words to do her justice. Carefully and without breaking the kiss, Jon hoisted Cheria into his arms feeling her legs encircle his waist. His hands moved down to her backside, cupping the soft flesh while holding her against him.

"Not fair…" Cheria mumbled against his mouth, reluctantly breaking the kiss and rubbed her nose against his, plucking at the front of his top. "If I have to be completely naked, so do you. And I'll be the one to rectify the atrocity."

Ignoring the slight stabbing pain in her cheek, Cheria kissed him again, this time hungrier and more passionate. Somehow, Jon managed to walk down the hallway toward his bedroom without tripping over anything and guided her down on his king sized bed covered in black cotton sheets. While they kissed, Cheria reached down between them and fumbled a few times, finally unsnapping his jeans. The sound of his zipper going down just made her wetter for him by the second and also anxious.

"Jon…" Cheria pulled back and cupped his face in her soft hands, cloudy forest green meeting darkened blue. "I'm ready."

"This isn't gonna be a rough and tumble, Cher..." He informed her, not about to skip ahead because he wanted dessert first.

After the night she had, Cheria needed to feel cared about and cherished. As great as all this was, Jon wasn't in a rush. He let her continue playing with his jeans, knowing they weren't coming off until he said so. Pulling away from her to remove his top, muscles flexed as he pulled it off, tossing it aside staring down at her.

"Goddamn, you're beautiful."

"So are you." She meant that in every sense of the word, admiring his magnificent body and wondered if there was an ounce of fat on it.

She had curves and didn't have the most perfect figure, but damned if he didn't! Cheria saw the intensity in his eyes and chewed her bottom lip, scooting back on the bed with him stalking her. Once he had her pinned to the bed, Jon began the exploration of her body, touching every part of skin he could get his mouth and hands on. Cheria remembered the night they fooled around with foreplay and knew that's exactly what would happen again tonight, plus more. There would be no stopping; only her surrendering to him in every way possible.

"Oh fuck!" A hiss escaped her as soon as his hot breath puffed against her already soaking sex, fingers immediately gripping her own hair so she didn't rip his out.

There wasn't an inch of Cheria he wouldn't explore - to claim as his own. This was meant to be their night, _her_ night and he'd be damned if it was ruined by anyone. So long as she wanted him, Jon would give her all the pleasure he could wring from her body. If the other night at the shop had been any indication, there was quite a bit he could wring from her.

"Mmm..." He purred, helping himself to his dessert, groaning at the taste of her.

It was just as exquisite as the first time he did this to her, though Cheria was more prepared this time around. It didn't become any easier to control her climax, however. That would take a lot of practice and some hefty work on her part. All she could do was writhe on the bed while Jon held her down with his large forearm across her abdomen, lapping at her repeatedly. He had such a wicked and experienced tongue, knowing exactly which spots to hit to make her shatter against him. The feeling of Curtis's grungy fingers inside of her were long gone and replaced with the wonderful sensation of Jon's tongue and fingers of his own, pleasuring her the way a woman should be. She shaved completely for this occasion, not a trace of hair on her body anywhere.

After her third climax hit, Jon finally pulled away from her long enough to let Cheria regain her breathing and kissed her, letting her taste herself on his addictive tongue. Jon took a moment to calm himself as well, making sure to remove everything he wore and stood at the foot of the bed, just admiring her against the black sheets. She was flushed, covered in a damp sheen of perspiration, and... just a vision. His darkened cloudy blue eyes feasted on Cheria, on his handiwork, and admired the contrast of the jewelry he had bought against her skin. Slowly, he kneeled on the bed, crawling over her body until his face hovered over hers. All Cheria could do was breathe heavily and smile at him, never feeling this exhilarated before in her life.

And they hadn't even gotten to the actual sex yet!

"B-Before we do this, I need to tell you something. Kiss me first." She requested, moaning at the feeling of his mouth against hers and couldn't get enough, wanting this moment, this night, to last forever. "I love you, Jon." Cheria declared once she broke the kiss for air and their eyes opened, blue on emerald. "I-I'm not saying it because – because of what's going to happen between us either. And I know a lot of people say you don't know what real love is until you're an adult. I don't believe that. I feel it in my heart, mind, body and soul whenever I look at you and feel you touch me or kiss me or hold me. I love you; I'm in love with you and…I'll understand if you can't say it back right now. I just…had to tell you tonight."

On some level, Jon felt like he had expected this. In a way, they were cliché; Prom night for first time sex, but the mold broke there. She was a minor, only by legal definitions because, by all of Jon's standards, this was a woman in front of him. Cheria held a job, knew what she wanted, tried not to put up with anyone's crap, had her head together... she was perfect, perhaps too perfect for him and giving herself, all of herself, to him. He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, tracing her full lower lip with his thumb before bending down to kiss her tenderly.

It wasn't a surprise Jon didn't reciprocate what she said. Cheria didn't expect it, hoping she hadn't said it too soon, but couldn't help how she felt. She was in love with him and wanted him to know it before he took her virginity. Prom night or not, clichéd or not, nothing mattered to her except Jon knowing how she truly felt. Returning the soft sweet kiss, Cheria melted completely against him and felt his knee nudge her thighs apart, trying to make them stop shaking. Jon slid two fingers inside of her gently and slowly, testing the waters to see if she was ready to fully accept his girth or not. Cheria buried her face in his neck, holding onto him for dear life and nodded when he instructed her to relax. If she tensed during the first time, it would hurt a lot worse and he didn't want to cause her anymore pain that night.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Do it; take me, Jon…" Cheria breathed in his ear and shut her eyes, taking deep slow breaths as he began pushing his erection carefully between her silky folds.

Jon warred with the instinct to just slam it home, knowing he could be prolonging the pain by taking his time and allowing her to adjust, but didn't want her to tear or anything. Cheria had never been with anyone before and he was her first, also larger than the average man. Halfway sheathed in her, Jon paused giving them time to both adjust. It was like she had been custom designed for him and he could feel her walls clenching around his cock, taking a deep shuddering breath.

"Jon…" Cheria's voice quivered with both anticipation and fear mixed with ecstasy, the burning sensation within her walls coursing through every nerve ending of her body. It felt like a branding iron had been planted against her vagina, only it wasn't fully heated. "K-Keep going…" She gritted out, hearing how erratic his breathing became and knew this was just as painful for him as it was her. Even though he'd had sex before; taking a virgin couldn't be easy for any man, especially one of Jon's size. "Oh god…"

Leaning back on the bed, Cheria felt Jon wrap her legs around his waist and that motion drove him a little deeper inside until he was at her barrier. They had reached the point of no return, literally. Jon couldn't stop himself from going further, his control dissolving into a puddle. He reached beneath her head, gripped the back of her neck and brought Cheria's lips up to meet his, swallowing down her gasps. Masking his own, Jon pushed through the thin barrier that had marked her purity. There was no going back now; no matter what happened after tonight, both of them would forever have this moment burned to memory. Once he was fully sheathed, he buried his face in her throat, hot gasps against her skin.

"Christ Cher, am I hurting you?"

He had to be; she was so tiny and small. The pain wasn't what she thought it would be, more like what Summer described. Constant burning. Her walls were stretching to accommodate his massive size and all Cheria could do was breathe in and out while Jon trembled against her, fighting his own control.

"N-No…" She answered after a minute, hissing when he twitched inside of her and tightened her fingers in his hair. "J-Just hold on a l-little longer…" Cheria stammered, eyes flying wide open as Jon moved again and the burning subsided, leaving her feeling incredibly full. She couldn't explain how it felt to have Jon inside of her, his dick pulsating with need and her sex begging for attention. "P-Please tell me you move or…something…"

Laughing breathlessly, a deep moan escaped her when Jon pulled almost all the way out and snapped his hips forward, burying himself to the hilt inside of her again. If this was sex, Cheria planned on having a lot of it with this man for the rest of her life. Amusement sparkled in his usually pale blue eyes, amusement and... maybe not love, but definitely something close. It could have been love, but he was male and wouldn't admit it just yet.

"Or something…hold onto me, Cher." 

He guided her arms around his neck, looping one of his behind her back and pulled Cheria tight against him, letting her feel him as he began rocking in and out of her, his hips meeting hers with each long thrust. It took a few tries, but Cheria eventually got the rhythm down with Jon, both of them moving together in perfect unison. Cheria met every one of his thrusts, rolling her hips going on pure instinct. Their foreheads rested against each other, eyes locked while Jon made love to her, taking it steady and slow. There was no need rushing and Cheria didn't mind, lacing her fingers around his muscular neck.

"This…feels so good…"

She was a fool to be afraid of sex all this time, but glad she waited until the right man came along to take her innocence. When Jon asked if he could go faster, Cheria couldn't deny him and nodded, claiming his mouth in a soft kiss and squealed, her world tilted slightly until she ended up straddled against him. This was definitely new to her. It was a miracle he was still inside of her and hadn't slipped out with that move!

"W-What are you doing?"

"Still making love to you, that hasn't changed. Just our positions have." Jon smiled up at her, his hands on her hips guiding her movements, knowing she felt the change in certain areas quite well. "Come on Cher, do what feels natural to you."

Even if Cheria didn't know what to do, her body did and just had to let go. He rolled his hips up against hers, smiling when she braced her hands against his abdomen. Sliding her hands up to his chest, Cheria gasped at the new position and couldn't believe his cock went deeper than before, watching how he rolled his hips up. Is that what she was supposed to do? Alright, she'd give it a shot.

"Oh wow…" She moaned at the new sensation and first time rolling her hips against his cock, digging her nails a little more into his chest without realizing it. Jon growled in approval, encouraging her to continue. Soon, Cheria completely let go all of her fear and anxiety, letting her body do whatever it wanted naturally going on instinct again. "Oh Jon!" Cheria cried out softly, caressing his chest and arms before moving up to her breasts, massaging them in her hands while still rolling her hips against Jon, picking up the pace ever so slightly.

"That's it, Cher, ride me." He urged in a hoarse rasp.

There was a difference in the way she moved now; Cheria released her fears, inhibitions and allowed natural instinct to takeover, which was how it should be. When she had adjusted to the new pace, Jon let his hands leave her hips, moving them up her abdomen and to her breasts. Rolling her pert nipples between his thumbs and forefingers, his eyes never once left her ecstasy-filled face.

"Yes – oh yes!"

Cheria could feel the hot coil within her threatening to spring free, groaning when it went away and then came back several times, driving her insane. She needed the release, begging for it and whimpered out, starting to bounce on and off Jon's cock. For her first time, Cheria was holding out well and she chalked it up to Jon knowing what he was doing to prolong the inevitable. Then again, she could've climaxed already several times and not known it because she was too engrossed in the man currently inside of her. Whatever the case, Cheria began reaching down to find her swollen bundle of nerves his cock brushed against every other thrust. Gasping as Jon took charge, Cheria sat upright to wrap her legs around his waist while powering in and out of her at a rapid pace. Apparently, he too needed the release and all Cheria could do was cry out, holding onto him for dear life. He had no idea how long they had been going at it, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer. She was still tight around him and, each time he slid out of her, it was almost a struggle.

"You close, Cher?" Jon demanded in a growl, unable to stop from upping the pace more, the sounds of flesh smacking flesh echoing throughout the room.

"Y-Yes…" Cheria could feel his cock twitching inside of her, begging to explode and she couldn't hold back any longer. "I-I'm there – OH JON!" Her bellow echoed around the room while he continued thrusting inside of her, riding out her first climax – or second, depending- and soon Jon had lost all control as well.

His release triggered a second climax to shake her body's foundation, Cheria moaning at the feeling of his hot seed spilling inside of her. Good thing for birth control. Their tense bodies slowly came down from the intense sexual high both climbed to and Cheria sagged against Jon's shoulder, breathing so hard she was coughing a little. She felt him grow limp inside of her and relished every second being with him, hoping they did this a lot more often.

"Holy... shit..." Jon breathed out, collapsing down onto the bed and brought her with him, not minding her laying out on his heaving chest. He could feel his heart going 100 miles a minute, hers doing the same and nearly keeping time with his. "Cheria... that was - you were incredible." He decreed once he caught his breath, kissing the top of her head.

That had definitely been worth the wait.

Cheria didn't believe that because it was only her first time having sex, making love, whatever one wanted to call it. "You were amazing." She murmured against his neck, pressing soft kisses against his Adam's apple and pulse point, nuzzling it with her nose and mouth.

Telling Jon how she felt once was the only time it would be confessed. It wouldn't happen again unless Jon dropped the L bomb first. Monique would strangle her if she found out Cheria had once again worn her heart on her sleeve, but it was hard not to when it came to Jon.

"Thank you for not turning me down."

He could only gape at her, wondering if she was serious. Cheria was thanking him for not turning her down? "Cheria, I don't know if you're aware, but I'm not... I'm just an average guy... and you... you are a stunningly beautiful intelligent woman. I should be thanking you." Jon frowned when he realized he was hearing a whistle, wondering what the hell that was. "Son of a bitch, hold on!"

Carefully removing her from his body, Jon bolted naked from the bed and out to the kitchen. Jon had burnt the bottom of his now empty tea kettle, forgetting about it the moment Cheria hopped on his lap. He returned a few moments later, raking a hand through his damp mop of curls, grinning sheepishly.

"Oops, we forgot about you making me tea, didn't we?" Cheria giggled softly at his boyish grin and crooked a finger at him, sitting up on her knees and grabbed onto his muscular sides, looking up in his eyes. "Before you bolted, I wanted to tell you something. You are not who I expected to be with in my life, but I'm so glad I am with you, Jon. You're perfect, or damn close to it. You're sweet, kind, generous and have the biggest heart. You remind me a lot of Uncle Roy, in a way, only I've never wanted to have sex with him. The point is: I'm crazy about you and you're not just an average guy to me. You're everything to me, do you understand that? Everything."

That was... sweet, but weird, mostly the part about Roy. Jon tried not to let that mental image ruin his otherwise relatively perfect night. He bent down, resting his head on hers and let out a soft sigh, enveloping her in his arms. Truthfully, he didn't know what to say to all of that. She was so serious and young. While he knew Cheria was more mature than most 30 year olds he knew, things in life did change. Jon hoped this didn't, being with her, and banished those thoughts from his mind refusing to entertain them a moment longer.

"I'm crazy about you too, darlin'." He kissed her, dropping sideways onto the bed and pulled her down with him, running the tip of his fingers up and down her arm. "Borderline insanity probably." Jon smirked when she smiled, kissing the corner of her mouth. "Thank you, Cheria."

Grinning, Cheria laced their fingers together to rest over her beating heart and snuggled further against him. Jon pulled the sheets over their bodies to keep the chill out of the room, but Cheria knew his body was plenty furnace for her to never get cold. Turning her head to brush her mouth against his, Cheria reached up to run her fingers through his damp curls, sighing in contentment as he nuzzled her neck. His arms tightened around her and Cheria felt like she was in a warm safe cocoon where nothing and nobody could ever hurt her.

"I guess we're both insane then, huh?"

Unequivocally 100% out of their minds, but Jon knew he wouldn't have it any other way. He was also seriously considering calling it a day for the shop and just closing it down. One day wouldn't kill anyone, it wasn't like he had done it before. One time could be forgiven.

"What do you think about taking the day off tomorrow, Cher? Spend it here, locked away, with me hmm?" They could spend it doing whatever, making love, hanging out; he'd even cook for her.

"Really?"

Cheria turned around to fully face him, laying on her side and draped her leg over his while his arm remained around her. Here was the man of her dreams who would close down his shop just to spend the day with her since she had it off from school. What more could Cheria possibly want out of life? Going to school at the community college had been a terrific idea and it was all thanks to Jon.

"I'd love that. I'll cook too, if you want." Aunt Betty taught her a few things in the kitchen and she could make a mean casserole with the right ingredients. Or anything Jon wanted. "Just no cheeseburgers, please. Let's nix those for the day."

"Sounds like a plan."

He made a mental note to send Joe a text to let him know not to bother coming in. Joe would either question him relentlessly about it because he had never shut down before or would let it slide for now and wait until Jon had thought he was in the clear before launching some sneak attack questionnaire thing on him. What the Samoan didn't know wouldn't hurt him and, besides, Jon was the boss.

"We'll eyeball what's there in the morning and make a plan then, but I'll cook breakfast for you. I can make steak and eggs." The idea of playing house... it was kind of fun. "You hungry now, Cher?" Jon had probably drained her reserves, smirking at the thought. He planned on doing it again shortly.

"Actually, yeah I am a little." Cheria blushed when her stomach growled without warning, thankful it wasn't a fart or that would've been extremely mortifying. "Yes, I definitely am. Can we order something tonight? I don't feel like cooking and I'm sure you don't either." She wasn't in the mood to put clothes on either considering the only clothes she had was the dress she wore and it currently lay on the floor. "I'll have to run home tomorrow and get my clothes. I'll just tell my Aunt and Uncle I'm staying with Monique. So, what do you want? Chinese sounds good, but I'll eat whatever you're in the mood for."

"Chinese?"

He glanced at the time, wondering what was open since he usually ordered pizza at this hour. Fortunately for him, Cheria knew exactly where to get it from and he was more than happy to let her give him the number and what she wanted, finally placing an order. Jon sighed afterwards, reluctantly pulling back on his jeans, but that was the only thing he planned on wearing.

"I'm going to text Joe and let him know about tomorrow." He watched as she looked around for her dress, smirking. "Cher, you want something of mine to wear?" That dress was gorgeous, but he doubted it was comfortable.

"If you wouldn't mind…"

Cheria smiled when he tossed her one of his t-shirts and waited until he left the room before bringing it to her nose, taking in a long inhale of his scent. He always smelled so good and the scent intoxicated her, made her hungry for him. Her stomach growled again, signaling she had to eat before thinking about going another round with Jon. Shaking her head, Cheria pulled the t-shirt over her head and wasn't surprised it rested just to her knees, pulling her silver hair out to let it hang down her back over the material. Then she headed out texting Monique to let her know the game plan for tomorrow. Jon was a bit surprised at the laid back message he received from Joe, who apparently was very chill with the idea of having a full Saturday off. He didn't want to know why his friend was fine with it, shaking his head. No doubt he'd hear all about it on Monday when work resumed.

"If you want to watch TV or something while we wait..." Jon waved the remote toward Cheria when she emerged, not surprised to see her phone in her hand.

"Sure, we can watch a movie or something. You need to teach me how to work this Apple TV though. We have regular cable."

She winked at him, sitting on the couch with her legs curled beneath her and smiled at the text she received from Monique. Of course Joe was fine with having a day off and it was because of her best friend, not that Jon knew about it yet. In time he would.

All good things came to those who waited. 


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Over the next several months, Jon and Cheria spent as much time together as they could. Graduation was on the horizon, just a few days away and after that came Cheria's birthday. She couldn't wait to turn 18, so she could finally tell everyone on the planet she was with Jon. They'd been together for a little over 4 months now. After another hard day at work and spending most of the evening with Jon, Cheria walked through the door and was shocked to find her biological mother sitting in the living room with a cup of tea in hand.

"Oh my precious angel!" Martha crowed, jumping up and rushing over to her daughter, taking her in her arms. "It's been too long since we last seen each other!"

What the hell was her mother doing here?

Roy was not overly pleased with Martha being here; she had just shown up, literally, out of the blue. Martha seemed to be clean, not higher than a kite. Even though he and Betty had both been reluctant to let her in, they did. Cheria was going to be 18 soon, a legal adult. She could then decide to pursue a relationship or whatever with her mother, if she wanted.

"We have so much to talk about, Cheria!" Martha pulled her daughter down onto the couch with her, smiling, unaware Cheria was in shock.

* * *

"What do you mean your mother is in town? I thought you two didn't speak?" Monique demanded, clutching the phone while doing her makeup because Joe was taking her out on a date that night. "Have you told Jon?"

"No! I don't want him finding out about this or meeting her. She's trash and I hate that she's here. I realize it's my graduation, but she has no business celebrating anything in my life when she hasn't been a part of it hardly." After spending countless hours with her gushing, overly-happy mother, Cheria breathed a huge sigh of relief when she finally left to stay at a hotel. Graduation was 2 days away and she'd have to endure her mother's company until then. "This seriously sucks. I didn't expect her to come."

"I'm so sorry, honey. Why don't you stay with Jon for the next 2 days? You know I'll cover you."

"No because he'll ask questions and I don't want him knowing she's here. I'm glad he's not coming to my graduation because of work now. The sooner graduation comes and goes, the sooner I'll be rid of her."

Monique sighed, putting down her eyelash curler. She was becoming a pro at doing her makeup one-handed since she was constantly on the phone it seemed; though this definitely qualified as an emergency. "Jon is not going to care about the reason, so long as you're there. Hell, he'd probably be glad to get you away from your nutcase Mom."

She remembered the few times Roy and Betty had mentioned this woman. None of it had been good, but they hadn't elaborated or spoke badly of the woman either. They weren't that kind of people.

"You don't think she wants you to go with her after graduation, do you?'

"Even if she does, it doesn't matter. Uncle and Aunt have custody of me – full and legal. They're just being nice to her because they don't want bad blood with her and I don't understand why. They're too nice for their own damn good." Cheria wasn't happy and it showed in her tone while she stared out the window of her bedroom, thankful her mother was gone for the time being. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I should call Jon and have him come get me." Talking about her mother was a very sore subject for Cheria because of everything the wretched woman put her through over the years. "I just hope he doesn't think I'm a drama queen for how I feel about her."

"Jon? Think you're a drama queen? Girl, you're crazy for even thinking that." Monique snorted, shaking her head as she double-checked her appearance, smiling at what she found. She looked damn good, if she said so herself. "He'll just be happy to have you to himself for a few extra days. Besides, it's that or actually risk being driven crazy by that... woman." Monique was only being nice because she knew how sore this topic was.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm not letting that happen. I've suffered enough at her hands. Thanks sissy and have fun tonight with your Samoan Adonis." She laughed when Monique purred in the phone, assuring her she would. They ended the call and Cheria stared at the phone for what seemed like hours, contemplating if she should drag her boyfriend into this. "Damn it."

Before she could stop herself, Cheria pressed his name on the speed dial and waited for him to answer, hoping he wouldn't mind having her stay with him for a few days until graduation. It took him a few rings to answer, but that was because he had been busy with a side project. Jon grinned when he seen who was calling, wiping his hands off on his stained jeans before answering.

"Darlin', I was just thinking about you." He said by way of greeting, which he had been mostly due to the project was associated with her. A little graduation present from him. "What's up, Cher?"

"Please say yes to this." When Jon demanded to know what was going on, his tone changing from playful to serious, she took a deep breath. "My – uh – my mother, biological mother, is in town and…I really need a place to stay until graduation. That's why she's here." She kept her voice low, not wanting Uncle Roy or Aunt Betty to overhear and rubbed the back of her neck, feeling awkward. "I hate asking you this because I know you're busy and everything…" God she sounded so whiny; Cheria really had to pull it together. "But I wouldn't mind spending a few extra days with you."

"Hell Cher, you don't need to ask. You're more than welcome to stay at my place anytime you want."

Jon had been toying with the idea of having a key made for her, but decided that definitely had to wait until she was of legal age. It'd be a birthday gift. He knew her mother was a piece of work. Jon had heard some of it and was fine with her wanting to get away from the woman. He knew that feeling quite well.

"What time?" He needed to be there to let her in, or at least meet her.

"Half hour, I'm packing up now. I'll wait in my car if you're not there by then. Don't rush. See you then, baby, thanks." She hung up with him, saying all of that in a rush because her Aunt Betty had knocked on the door and her voice had to lower to a whisper. "Come in!"

"Hey honey, I was just - where are you going?"

"Staying with Moni for a couple days to avoid the witch. I'll be back for graduation." She kissed Aunt Betty's cheek and hugged her quickly. "I'll be here for my party and dinner too, don't worry. Love you."

Then she flew out the door before Aunt Betty could say anything, hopping in her car moments later and peeled off toward Jon's. Roy was not at all surprised when Betty let him know what Cheria had done; he didn't honestly blame her. He would also, secretly, enjoy telling Martha that Cheria wasn't home and wouldn't be for a few days. Unlike his wife, Roy wasn't as good a Christian as he could've been sometimes.

* * *

Jon met her there, running a few minutes over because he had taken the time to clean up, grinning as he got out of his truck. He headed inside, knowing she would follow, waiting until they were in the safety of his apartment before crushing her against him, kissing the breath out of her by way of hello. Whatever the reason behind her wanting to spend a couple days with him, Jon wouldn't question it, enjoying having his girlfriend with him.

"Well hello to you too." Cheria whispered against his mouth once the kiss broke, relishing being in his strong arms and hugged him tightly around the neck, breathing him in. "Missed you." There was nothing else to say; she hadn't dropped the L bomb on him since the night he took her virginity. "I'm cooking for you tonight and I want no arguments. It's my way of saying thank you."

Bouncing away from him, Cheria headed into the kitchen and began looking through the cabinets, deciding on what to make while he watched her. Cooking would get her mind off of her mother being in town, the perfect distraction besides being naked with Jon. That was her favorite distraction of all. Shaking his head, Jon began removing his jewelry and unbuttoning his shirt. He needed a shower, covered in paint and smelled of fumes.

"I'm going to go wash up, Cher..."

Jon eyeballed her, grinning while the silver haired beauty continued rifling around his kitchen, getting out what she needed. She had made herself right at home after the first few visits and, honestly, he didn't mind at all. Seeing her like this, it filled Jon with... contentment. Whistling, he headed for the bathroom and shed his clothes, his mind on the woman in his kitchen.

* * *

"W-What?! What do you mean she's gone?! I was gonna take her out for a nice breakfast and hopefully talk about some things." Martha was distraught, not believing her baby girl had taken off like this on her. When would she ever let her mother make up for the past? "Where is she now?"

Betty hated herself for this and ignored her husband's warning glare when he shot it at her. "She works at the shop downtown. Good's Automobile Repair, you can't miss it. Be careful, she's still sore at you."

"Whatever." Martha snorted, walking away from the door and drove off toward Good's Automobile Repair to see her daughter. She was tired of the duck and hide game when it came to Cheria.

* * *

"And BAM, he walked right into the damn open door, he was-" Joe sighed when the doorbell rang, alerting them all to the fact that someone had just walked in. He and Jon were enjoying their lunch with Cheria, sitting on the step that led down to the garage. "All right, story time will have to wait until later. Go see to that."

"There will be no more story time. You're not telling her the rest of that, man. She won't respect me as her boss anymore." Jon teased, watching Cheria walk into the office. "Dick face."

The laughter Cheria shared with Jon and Joe quickly died at the sight of the woman staring back at her – the same woman she had evaded for the past day and a half. "What are you doing here, Martha?" She demanded, brows furrowing together and stepped back when her mother came toward her. Instead, Cheria made a beeline for the door that linked to her desk and closed it. "Nobody behind the desk that's not employed here, sorry. Now what do you want?"

"Just came to see my angel hard at work." Martha looked around the place, wrinkling her nose. "It's a bit…grimy for my taste. You shouldn't be working in a place like this, angel. How about you and I go out for a lunch and catch up on things?"

"Can't, I'm the only secretary here. Sorry." No she wasn't and hell would freeze over before Cheria was caught dead with this woman anywhere in public besides her job. "You can exit the way you entered if you don't need something done on your car."

Jon and Joe had strayed into the office, both of them overhearing the conversation, neither ashamed of listening in. It didn't take a rocket scientist to gather this was Cheria's mother and she seemed like a piece of work. "We're full up today." He announced when the woman actually said something about having her brakes checked. "Just no time for any other clients. We can get you in... Cheria, when are we free?"

Joe had a feeling next month was going to be the answer.

Martha turned to speak to the man and felt her eyes widen, a hand covering her mouth instantly. "Oh my stars…" She gasped, looking at her daughter and then back at… "It can't be…Jonathan Good? Little Jonny, Claire's baby boy?"

Both Joe and Cheria looked at Jon and saw his face turn white as a ghost while staring at Martha, confusion registering their faces. "Wait a minute, you KNOW him?" This was extremely awkward considering she was currently screwing a man her mother knew.

"My word, yes! We go way back, don't we Jonny boy?"

Cheria would never call him that again.

Joe could only stare at Jon. They had known each other a long time since high school and he had never seen this look on his friend's face. Jon was pale and looked - he looked like a damn kid right now, almost afraid, though that was slowly turning into anger.

"Jon?"

"Don't. Call. Me. That." Jon ordered through gritted teeth, punctuating each word as its own statement.

Time had not been kind to Martha and it took him a fair few minutes to realize who she was. Though now that he had, Jon was ready to throw her right out the front door. The thought of this... bitch, this evil whore, being Cheria's mother... he wanted to throw up.

"Get out." When Martha simply stared at him perplexed, his face went red. "GET OUT!"

Joe stepped up in case he had to restrain Jon from choking this woman out.

"Don't you DARE speak to me that way, young man!" Martha squawked, not believing how he was treating her after the history they had together. Tears swelled in her eyes because she never thought she'd see Jon again. And now here he was, and her daughter was working for him. "I suppose I should tell you something before you toss me out the door like a piece of trash."

"Jon, are you alright?" Cheria rushed over to him, not caring about her mother at the moment and could FEEL how badly he was shaking. "Jon?"

Martha snorted at how affectionate Cheria was toward him and folded her arms in front of her chest. "Cheria, you shouldn't call him that."

"And why the hell not?"

"Because he's more than just 'Jon' to you, angel." Martha smiled widely, a wicked gleam pulsating through her emerald eyes that mirrored Cheria's. "You should call him Daddy."

At that point, Joe had to both catch and restrain Jon because Jon had done this half-lunge, half-slump motion toward Martha. "Jon?" His eyes darted back and forth between Cheria and Jon, trying to pinpoint any resemblance. "With... that thing?"

"It's not what you think, bro. Trust me on THAT." Jon said flatly, staring at Martha intently and pulled himself upright again. He didn't dare look at Cheria, not yet. "You're lying, you heartless bitch. There is NO way…" He would have KNOWN, right?

"Am I?" Martha stepped back just to put some more distance between her and Jon in case he tried lunging at her again. "Think back, Jonny. You were what 12 - 13 years old? Somewhere around there? And Cheria is 17, almost 18, right? I became pregnant after we slept together the one time. You were young and so was I, both foolishly in love. No condom, no protection. I had her and then I dumped her off with my sister because I couldn't handle having a minor's child to raise."

"Oh my god…" Cheria whispered, her heart clenching painfully in her chest and finally Jon looked back at her, their eyes meeting. This was…Jon was her DAD? Her father? They were… "No – NO! It's not true – IT'S NOT FUCKING TRUE!" She dropped to her knees and clamped her hands on her head, trembling from head to toe. "Please no – PLEASE!"

"Go have a DNA test done if you don't believe me. He's your father. What are you so upset about anyway?" Martha didn't understand, raising a brow at both Jon and Cheria, not piecing it together. "You should be happy to finally meet your Daddy after all these years, angel. This is one of my gifts to you, though I wasn't planning on it. Hell, I thought Jonny boy was somewhere in the west. Never occurred to me he was here…"

"Foolishly in love? Bitch, I was 12 and loved comic books, not psycho whores!"

Jon was on the verge of vomiting. This, on top of his own whore of a mother, was the reason Roy and Betty had taken him away, rescued him, from Cincinnati and brought him into their home. They had gotten him out a messed up situation, one that took him years to wrap his head around. Most people didn't believe a guy could be raped, but they would be wrong. Sure, in the end, it had felt good, but Jon hadn't wanted it and was ashamed for years it had felt good, warring with himself. Now... the idea of... Cheria... No!

Martha was lying, she had to be.

"Get out now before I snap your lying ass in half."

"You heard him." Joe moved to help Cheria up, chancing the risk that Jon might lose it. He would be justified.

"Dramatic as ever, I see. Very well. Cheria, angel, when you want to talk to me and hear the truth, you know where to find me. Jonny, don't hurt our daughter. It's not her fault we had sex." Martha walked out, leaving them with those parting words and got in her vehicle, driving away.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Cheria bellowed, shoving Joe away and stumbled to her feet, holding onto the desk with every ounce of strength she had in her body.

Her brain was trying to process this newfound revolting information. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fathom it happening. Cheria was the product of her adult mother having sex with a 12 to 13 year old Jon, a little boy?! This wasn't happening, it couldn't be! Jon couldn't be her biological father, could he? Did Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy know about this?

"I-I have to get out of here. I need to go."

Grabbing her keys and purse, Cheria flew out of the shop before Joe and Jon could stop her. There were so many questions and Cheria would find out the truth, no matter what. Joe stopped Jon when he tried chasing after Cheria, seeing the pain and anguish in Jon's face. He heard Cheria's screams, seen the results of that bitch's vicious words and honestly... it didn't take a genius to put two and two together. Joe got it, he knew the truth. They were in the same boat him and Monique were. Releasing Jon, Joe let his friend go to the bathroom, not surprised to hear him hurling. Sighing, he walked over to the door and locked it, flipping the sign to CLOSED and waited, trying not to feel disgusted.

For the first time in years, Jon was crying.


	23. Chapter 23

****WOW, I did NOT expect so many reviews over the last chapter by all of my wonderful readers! I promise you this story is far from over and the only thing I will say is this: It's not the first huge bomb to be dropped in this story. :) I hope you trust in me and stick with me throughout the rest of this story. You won't be disappointed! Love you all!****

Chapter 23

"Please – please tell me it's not t-true, Auntie…" Cheria sobbed, spilling the truth to her Aunt and Uncle about being with Jon for the past 4 months. "W-We were waiting until I turned 18 to be together and now – now he…he might be…" She couldn't bring herself to say it, feeling her heart splitting in two before shattering into pieces all over again.

Betty honestly had no idea if it was true or not. The possibility of Jon being Cheria's biological father was a long shot, but at the same time the dates matched up. She remembered her sister coming to her crying, begging for help because she'd made an awful mistake. Never in her wildest dreams did Betty think her sister, who had been 25 at the time, would screw around with a 12-13 year old boy. Jonathan Good of all people, Martha's best friend's little boy. It was sickening and made Betty nauseous, tears of her own brimming her eyes. She couldn't be upset with Cheria for falling in love with Jon. However, if he was her father, Betty had no idea how they would have a father/daughter relationship.

"The only way you will find out is if you do a DNA test, my dear. I'm so sorry…"

Roy was silent, his fingers gripping his knees tightly. He knew more about the situation simply because he had been the one Jon eventually confided into and his stomach was in knots. Disgusted with this entire situation, all of it. What Jon had done to his niece... that was wrong. Just as what had been done to Jon was. And now - now it looked like Cheria and Jon were both being punished in the most horrible way.

"Martha raped him." He confirmed in a hoarse voice, looking up from staring at the floor. "He was... torn up about it, had some... issues and finally talked to me. Took him a long time to get over it." Roy moved his gaze to his niece. "Auntie is right, honey. You're gonna need a DNA test." His eyes searched Cheria's face, looking for any signs Jon could be her father.

"I hate her. I hate her so much! How could she do that to an innocent little boy?!"

Cheria couldn't bare hearing another word of this and rushed out of the room upstairs to her own, slamming the door shut locking it. Jon had been raped when he was a pre-teen/teenager and…she was the product of rape. Her mother was sick in the head and needed serious help. If it was true and Jon was her father…Cheria buried her face in her hands and sobbed her heart out, not knowing what to do about this. She was in love with her could-be biological father. How messed up was that? Curling up in a tight ball on the bed, Cheria shut her eyes and let the darkness overtake her, crying herself into a restless slumber.

"I love you, Jon. I-I'm so sorry…"

* * *

Joe had broken out the bottle of whiskey they kept at the garage for medicinal purpose. They had drawn the blinds, broken out some plastic cups and Joe just poured. Jon had managed to recount his history with Martha, which Joe found absolutely disgusting, unable to wrap his mind around that. How... why... why would a woman rape a little boy? And to get pregnant by... Joe shook his head, pouring another shot. He knew about Jon and Cheria, now. On one level, he felt disgust at the idea of them being related and dating, but on the other hand... he felt incredibly sad for them.

"You think Cheria - think she's yours?"

"I don't know..." Jon shook his head, his unruly curls no longer covered and he ran his fingers through them. "She's never going to talk to me again... and I don't know if I blame her..." Christ, she probably was his.

God forgive him, he still loved and wanted her.

Jon did not consider Cheria his... daughter.

* * *

Monique could only stare at her best friend in pure shock while they put their caps and gowns on, standing in her bedroom. Betty and Roy planned on meeting them at the venue where the graduation ceremony took place. It was supposed to be a day of celebration, but instead all Monique felt was heartache for Cheria and the fact she'd been screwing her could-be biological father.

"I don't even know what to say." She admitted honestly, after hearing the story and wondered what kind of sick twisted human being could do something like that to a little boy. "Have you talked to Jon at all?"

"No." Cheria whispered, sitting on the bed with her cap and gown on, unable to stop the tears from falling down her face for the umpteenth time. "I love him, Moni. I love him so much and I miss him. I don't consider him my…No, there has to be someone else she slept with. There just - there has to be." If it was true, Cheria had no idea what she would do because every time she saw Jon, she wanted to jump in his arms and kiss him breathless. "Let's just go to graduation and get it over with. I just wanna come home, curl up in bed and cry myself to sleep."

Frowning, Monique walked out of the house with Cheria and drove them to the venue, wishing there was something she could do for her best friend.

* * *

Somehow, Roy wasn't surprised to see Jon at the graduation, looking uncomfortable in black slacks and a buttoned up white shirt. Jon looked... like hell. The anger that had been simmering in Roy died a little and his heart went out to the man he had practically raised since he had been 12 or so.

"Jon..." He sighed, taking the other man's hand. "I don't know whether to hug you and say I'm sorry or punch your lights out."

"How is she?"

"Depressed."

Jon groaned, shaking his head. "Christ Roy, I don't know what to do anymore. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for lying and sneaking around. I know I love her and-"

Roy shook his head firmly. "Curb it for now, Jon. Let's keep this upbeat since it's her day, all right?" He managed a smile when Jon nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go sit with Betty."

Jon stayed in the back out of sight, not wanting Cheria to see him yet.

"…Peter Fargle, Natalie Feag, Cheria Ferguson!"

Walking up to the podium, Cheria looked at her principal stoically and took the diploma, thanking him quietly before leaving down the stairs. She hadn't eaten in the past 2 days, her eyes sunken in, red and swollen from crying. Today wasn't special to her at all like it was to others. The applause when her name was called didn't matter – nothing did. The man of her dreams, the love of her life, was her…could be her…Cheria pushed that thought of her mind and knew eventually she would have to talk to Jon about this. The blood test would have to be done to prove if they really were related. If they were, she didn't want to think about what would come next, knowing their relationship would have to change into something else and Cheria didn't want it to happen. After the ceremony, she walked out the back exit door and headed toward her car, tearing her cap and gown off tossing it in the backseat of her vehicle before sliding behind the wheel. And there Jon was, waiting for her in the passenger seat looking handsome as ever in dress pants and a buttoned down shirt that brought out his beautiful pale blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing here, Cher?" He looked at her, took in her appearance and frowned deeply. He felt awful and didn't look any better, but at least he wasn't sickly. This didn't sit well with him. "Cher, you..." Jon reached out to touch her cheek, frowning when she cringed and pulled back, deciding for now to keep his hands to himself. "I wanted to see you, especially today."

She swallowed hard and gripped the steering wheel so tight, her knuckles turned white, fresh tears threatening to fall down her face. "I've missed you too." Cheria admitted quietly, unable to look at him and wiped a few tears away that managed to escape, staring straight ahead out the windshield. "I just – I don't know what we're supposed to do, Jon. Uncle Roy told me everything about you and Martha…" Cheria cringed when she said her mother's name aloud, hating her with every fiber of her being. "I don't blame you for any of this. You were an innocent little boy and she was - she's a monster. A fucking monster."

Wrapping her arms around herself, Cheria began rocking back and forth, trying to fight her inner anguish off. She had to do something, anything, to ease the heartache, pain and torment she felt. Jon had no idea what to say or do, not surprised at all Roy had told her about what had happened to him. Cheria deserved and needed to know. However, at the same time it had to be hard to digest. Jon still struggled with the concept that him and Martha had... managed to create this beautiful woman he did not view as a daughter. He loved her and it was definitely not a paternal love.

"I love you, Cheria." He confessed quietly.

Finally, Jon said the words she longed to hear and it was the worst timing. Everything was so screwed up right now. How could they fall in love with each other and be related? Cheria supposed it wasn't too farfetched considering incest dated back to the medieval days. To keep royal families from mixing bloodlines, they often slept with each other in order to produce heirs with the same blood. This wasn't the medieval age though; people talked and gossiped, finding incest to be disgusting. Truthfully, Cheria thought it was too and she'd committed it with Jon, if he was her biological father.

"I love you too, Jon." It was the first time Cheria said it since Prom night right before they made love. "I really do."

Jon sensed a 'but' in there, knowing this had to be hard for her. Hell, it was for him too. He had spent his nights and days alternating with feeling like some disgusting freak, vomiting his guts out. Then on the flipside, trying to justify it all, because at the end of the day, he loved her. He loved her and didn't care if they were, by some screwed up chance, related.

"But?" He asked, resigned to the inevitable.

"There's no 'but' about it. I love you. I'm just…I'm so confused about the whole situation. I don't know what to do at this point. Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty know everything now and they want us to get a DNA test done. But all I wanna do is be with you and keep going like we have." Reaching over, Cheria took his hand and laced their fingers together, her watery emerald eyes boring into his with so much love and heartache pulsating through them. "Take me home, Jon. I miss you; I miss us. Even if we are…related, it won't change how I feel about you. Next month I'm 18 and then we can do whatever the hell we want, when we want, how we want and where we want. That is, if you want to."

Jon nodded, looking out the window before glancing back at her. He was in her car and managed a slight smile. "You want to follow me, Cher?"

He gestured to his truck, which was parked not too far away. Jon didn't know what would happen with everything going on, but... it was tonight they had to get through. One day, one moment, at a time. Before she could answer, he held up a hand, reaching into his shirt pocket and pulled out a key.

"I was going to give this to you next month for your birthday..." He extended it to her. "But... with everything out the way it is, you should have it now." It was the key to his apartment.

A key to his place? What did this mean exactly? Cheria turned it slowly in her hand and finally moved closer to him, giving him a 'thank you' kiss. In the far back of her mind, Cheria knew there was a possibility she was kissing her biological father and tried not to think about it, just wanting to be with Jon. They didn't know the other existed prior to meeting and he already had her heart. Did it really matter if they shared the same blood?

"See you over there." She murmured against his mouth and gasped when Jon pulled her to straddle his lap, kissing her again.

Only this time, it was rough, passionate and full of pure need. Apparently, the possibility of them being related did not bother Jon one bit and Cheria was thankful for that, tightening the key in her hand so she didn't lose it in her car seats. Truthfully, the idea of it did bother Jon, but not for the reasons she may have been thinking. If they were... related, father and daughter, they would be stigmatized, outcasts. While for him, that was all right, she was young and had her whole life ahead of her. Jon could deal with the ick-factor that threatened to rear its ugly head, the social stigma he had been ingrained with; he could stamp that out.

"I love you, Cheria." He repeated when they parted, feathering his lips against hers. "No matter what. Understand me, darlin'? No matter what."

"Promise me something then." She pulled back enough to stare in his eyes, caressing his face with her fingertips lightly, tenderly. "Don't push me away, no matter what happens. Even if we are - even if you are…" Cheria scooted closer to him, shifting on his lap and feathered kisses down his jaw and back up again before doing the other side. "I don't know what I'll do if I lose you, Jon."

Promising her they wouldn't part, no matter what the DNA test results concluded –if they decided to get them, that is- would restore Cheria's faith in their relationship. Jon hated making her promises he wasn't sure if he could keep. He hadn't been able to keep his last promise, to let her handle Curtis, and had beaten the little bastard. If he ever caught Curtis Hussey out and about, he'd likely kill him. Right now, it seemed the only thing holding him together was the thought that maybe, on some slim chance, they weren't related and Martha was still the lying evil bitch he always knew her to be.

"You're not going to lose me, Cher." Jon promised, kissing her again to seal his word. "No matter what."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"It's wrong to be with him and you know it, Cheri."

"Don't you think I know that, Monique?" Cheria sat across from her friend at their favorite ice cream parlor in downtown Tampa, enjoying an afternoon out in the hot sun since it was a blistering 90 degrees outside. Both enjoyed the heat immensely and now that they were graduates, some celebrating had to happen. "I can't help how I feel about him though."

"I know that…" Monique didn't know what she would do if she was in Cheria's shoes, the thought of Joe being her biological father making her cringe every time she thought about it. "When is the DNA test?"

"We haven't decided if we're having it done or not."

"WHAT?!" Once Monique had recovered from that bombshell, she adjusted her mouth from its ungainly wide open position. "Cheria, look... I'm... trying to get over the gross factor, I really am. But you have to have the test done, you just have to. What if you and Jon decide you want a family or something? You'd have to know for sure and you'd have to be aware of any... genetic issues that could occur."

Truth be told, it'd been 2 weeks since graduation and Jon hadn't brought up the subject, so Cheria decided not to either. They went back to the way things were before Martha came in and destroyed it all with her proclamations of Jon being Cheria's biological father. Yes, it was disgusting she could potentially be sexing it up with her biological father, but Monique wasn't in her shoes and love did very strange things to people. It blinded them from truths – dark truths. Currently, Cheria was blissfully happy being left in the dark regarding the DNA test.

"We're happy and, if we decide to have kids in the future, then we'll revisit this little…problem."

Little was an understatement, but Cheria wasn't thinking straight at the moment. Monique shook her head, wondering how anyone could be that willfully oblivious or in denial. She didn't want to hurt Cheria; they were best friends, had been forever it seemed, but... Cheria had to get her head out of her backside. Or Jon, one of them did.

"Cheria, you'll be 18 soon. And if you and Jon are serious, you might want to get married eventually. You'd have to know for that too. There are a lot of bridges you're planning on crossing at a later date and time, sweetie. Just... think about it, okay? I know it hurts, but eventually, you will have to know."

* * *

Standing outside of Jon's apartment door, Cheria contemplated knocking or not. She'd texted Jon after hanging out with Monique and told him they had to talk, normally a code for breaking things off. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Monique was right though. They couldn't keep going on acting like everything was fine when it wasn't. If anything, it was worse and she hated her mother for doing this to her – to Jon – to them.

"It has to be done." She whispered solemnly and squared her shoulders, knocking on the door.

A few seconds later, it opened to reveal Jon in nothing except a towel draped low on his hips. He hadn't jumped in the shower yet, his unruly curls still dry as a bone. Shutting the door, Cheria tossed her purse to the side and tugged on the towel, revealing his beautiful naked body to her hungry vision. She suddenly felt very dirty in a good way, if that made any sense.

"Need some help washing your back?" Cheria asked coyly, sliding her fingertips down his rock hard chest and looked up into his eyes, her own clouding over.

Considering her text had said they needed to talk, Jon hadn't figured she'd be over so quick. However, the man in him wasn't complaining when she tugged his towel down. The rational part, the part telling him he was an idiot for not just holding off on the shower, shoved its way forward and he held her gently but firmly away from him.

"That depends, are we having a good talk or a bad one?"

The only words she wanted to hear out of his mouth currently were dirty ones. However, somehow the rational part of her brain fought through the passion haze. Cheria heaved a sigh, stepping away from him to turn around to stare at the wall. She couldn't look at him while talking about this and knew it was childish, but it was the only way to get through the conversation without breaking down.

"Bad – good, I don't know. It depends on how you feel about having the DNA test." The sharp intake of breath told Cheria this topic had been on the forefront of his mind too. "I don't want to do it. I really don't, but…Jon, what the hell happens if down the road this turns really serious and we…get married or want kids or something? I know it's only been 5 months, but…going on like we have like it never happened isn't the answer either. Unless you really don't want to know the truth." Maybe part of him didn't because deep down he knew she was his biological daughter - they were blood related and what they were doing with each other was incestuous. "Tell me what you want to do, please."

"I want to get dressed."

It was the first thing that came to mind, involving putting some pants on because there was no way he could begin thinking about having this conversation naked. He held up a finger, gesturing for a moment and headed for the bedroom, just pulling on a pair of black pajama bottoms, giving himself time to sort out what she had just said. When Jon made his way back out to the living room, -he wouldn't lie- he was surprised to see her still there. He thought that she became scared and fearful of the conversation and bolted. Jon might have if he had been in her shoes. Sighing, he dropped down on the couch, resting his arms on his knees and stared at her somewhat ruminating. These past few weeks all they had been doing was deluding themselves, trying to wrap themselves up in each other, but the real world was knocking and they had to answer.

"We're gonna have to get it done, Cheria."

"And what if it's true, Jon?" Cheria finally turned back to face him and couldn't bring herself to sit on the couch, her heart rived all over again because of this mess. "What happens if or when we get that test back and it turns out you are – that we're related?" She still couldn't say the word 'father', refusing to believe it unless she seen it in black and white on a piece of paper. "We just forget everything that's happened? I don't know about you, but I can't do that. I can't just…go on pretending I don't love you the way I do now. I'm scared of the results. Do we really need to have this done? Do we really need to know the truth that badly?"

What could he say to that? Jon stood up, moving over to take her in his arms and pulled Cheria against him tightly, kissing the top of her head. He could feel something inside of him splintering, hearing the tears in her voice. Truly, Jon would give anything to stop her from crying because her tears killed him and crying women made him nervous as it was.

"I don't know what happens after that, Cher," Jon repudiated to let her go, even when he felt her tense against him. "I don't know, but we can't go on like this. You know we can't. We're just gonna have to cross that bridge when we get there. No matter what the results are, I'll still love you. I can promise you that."

"No you won't." Cheria broke away from him, shaking her head in denial. "Wanna know how I know that? Because I'll always be that constant reminder of what happened to you when you were a little boy. I'll always remind you of what Martha did because I'll be the product of RAPE. You won't want anything to do with me and my fear of losing you will become reality. Well fuck that, I'm not sitting around waiting to have my heart ripped out of my chest! I'll do the test, but until the results come out, we have to stay away from each other. It's the only way…"

God help her, she didn't want to do this, but pushing Jon away was the only option she had until the DNA results came back. If they weren't related, then they could pick up where they left off. If they were…Cheria didn't want to think about that outcome.

"Cheria, I got over... being raped a long time ago and, even if you are... a result of that…" Jon could only hope and pray she wasn't. "It doesn't change a damn thing." He wouldn't let her walk away from him like this, not without a fight. "You think that hasn't already crossed my mind? It's been awhile since that evil bitch dropped this on us. I've had plenty of time to think about it and I'm telling you it _doesn't matter_! I still love you."

"You got over it because you had no reminders around you. If I'm really your daughter, everything WILL change. You may not believe it now because love is blinding you, like it does to so many other people. Hell, it's blinded me and I'm the one who didn't want to have the test done. But then I talked with Monique and she told me if we ever decide to have kids, it'll be a problem if we're related. And she's right." Tears slipped down her cheeks while Jon continued holding her against him, his grip on her arms tightening slightly, but not enough to hurt her. "Let me go, Jon. Let me go before we both end up hurt worse than we already are over this."

Gasping when his mouth descended on hers, Cheria tried fighting and pushing him away, but her body responded instantly, arms wrapping around his neck to deepen the kiss further. He was making it impossible for her to walk away from him at this point. If she wanted to go, she would, but that didn't mean Jon wouldn't try changing her mind. If he had to resort to sex, he'd use it - anything to keep her from walking out that door. He had known when she texted him something wasn't right with her - nothing good ever came from the 'we have to talk' line with a woman.

"You're not leaving me, Cher." He rumbled, lifting her up in his strong arms and was careful not to hurt her either. "We're not walking away from this - from each other."

All Cheria could do was let Jon have his way with her. Planting her in the middle of his bed Jon systematically removed her clothing piece by piece. It was wrong on so many levels to have sex with him, knowing there was a possibility they were related. Jon didn't care, proving it to her by making love in the late afternoon before the sun fully set on the horizon. The room had a golden glow to it, streaming through the open shades, the warmth of his body combined with the twilight sending Cheria's world spinning on its axes. Switching positions to something Cheria hadn't experienced yet, Jon spooned up against her while they both lay on their sides and slid inside of her quivering body, wrapping her tightly in his arms. Thoughts of leaving Jon flew out the window as Cheria surrendered to Jon, both making love for hours on end that night until they passed out in each other's arms.

Jon was awake long before Cheria was, just staring at her. She slept so peacefully; it was impossible to tell that only hours before she had been near tears. So many worries and fears had taken their toll on her. He ran a gentle fingertip down along her cheek, barely grazing skin and smiled slightly when she simply nestled in closer against him. Bending down, Jon kissed her temple before gently extricating himself from her, hating the fact he was leaving her so soon. In-between their bouts, he had retrieved bottles of water for them, refusing to let her succumb to sleep until they both had absolutely no choice. He dressed quietly, glancing at the bedside clock and noted the time. Hopefully, Cheria would sleep a while longer and would be here when he returned. Jotting down a note before leaving, Jon took those bottles, now carefully placed in Ziploc bags, with him.

* * *

"Jon, are you sure about this?"

Joe couldn't believe Jon called him up and lied about going to play some basketball at the local court down the road from the shop. The moment he was picked up and Jon drove past the basketball court, he knew something wasn't right. Now they stood outside of a health clinic Jon had him research on his phone with the Ziploc bags in hand, each having a strand of their hair in it and empty bottles of water. Two types of DNA, Jon wasn't taking chances of the hair not working.

"Does Cheria know about this?"

Jon gave Joe, raising a brow silently asking if he was insane for asking an asinine question like that. Joe knew everything now; nothing was sacred or secret anymore. The Samoan hadn't judged him about anything regarding his relationship with Cheria. Jon knew Joe probably vomited in his mouth a bit and shuddered every time he thought about it, but he hadn't come out and said anything negative about the situation, or the potential father bit. For that, Jon felt blessed to have this big lug as his best friend.

"It has to be done, man. I don't know if she would do it or if she'd back out, but for both her and my sake, it has to be done." Jon envisioned a future with her, but he had to know the truth first. Before he could set off down that path, they had to know what to expect. "What do I do if she is my... kid, Joe?" He asked softly. "What then?"

"Hell, I don't know, bro. I really don't."

Joe couldn't imagine Monique being his daughter, the thought sickening him. To actually screw his daughter and fall in love with her was…extremely wrong on every level. However, he was Jon's best friend and wouldn't judge him for what happened because he nor Cheria had any idea they could be related. This was all Martha's fault and, if Joe ever saw that cold rapist bitch again, he would make sure she never bothered his buddy or Cheria again.

"I mean obviously your sexual relationship has to end, right?"

At Joe's words, he could only stare at his friend, half-tempted to punch his Samoan brother. "Man, our relationship isn't built on sex, but it tends to lead to sex. What the fuck are we supposed to do? Shake hands, hug politely and go our separate ways?" Jon clenched his fists, feeling his fingernails digging into his palms and grit his teeth. "I don't fucking know anymore. I can't imagine my life without her, but..." He groaned, letting his head hang. "I've gotta get this stuff in there before I change my mind."

"Go. You came here for a reason. Don't turn back now." Joe clapped his friend on the back, giving Jon as much support as he could and watched the man trudge into the building with a lowered head.

15 minutes later, Jon walked back out and slid behind the wheel, the strands of hair and water bottles no longer in his possession. "Now the waiting game…"

"How long did they say it'd take?" Joe asked quietly, texting Monique to let her know he'd pick her up later that night.

"Couple weeks." This was it; he had done it and there was no turning back. Within weeks, they would know if they were father and daughter. "Thanks bro, for coming with me." If he hadn't had his friend, Jon might have said to hell with it and chucked everything. Maybe he should have done that anyway, just thrown it all out, gone back to Cheria and ran away with her.

They didn't really need to know the truth, did they?


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Cheria shrieked, staring at Jon like he'd just grown 3 heads and tossed the sheets back, not caring if she was still naked. She was livid and it showed, her face crimson red with fury. "You son of a bitch! How could you do that without consulting me first?!" Then she realized why Jon had forced her into his bed and made love to her all night, tears swelling her eyes. "You're a real piece of work, Jonathan Good! Seducing your girlfriend into having sex with you for hours on end to where you exhaust her and she sleeps for 12 hours straight! Gave you plenty of time to pluck a hair out of my head and take it down to the office, huh?" Unable to look at him right now, Cheria had to get out of there and hastily pulled her clothes back on.

They were supposed to trust each other, but how could she when Jon just went behind her back like this?

"WHAT?!"

Jon watched her dumbly for a moment as she struggled to get into her clothes, her own tears and trembling body hampering her efforts. She had him twisted, that was for damn sure. Frowning, he stopped her from finishing with her dressing, pulling her back against him and pinned Cheria's arms to her sides when she tried elbowing him.

"Cher, listen to me - listen to me!" He was tempted to shake her; she was acting... like a damn teenager! "It's not like that, Cher, you know I-" Jon cursed when she stomped hard on his foot, but didn't let go. "Cheria, knock it off, damn it! Let me explain!" Sex her up to exhaust her? Where the hell had that come from?

"WHY? Why did you do it? Give me one damn good reason why you plucked a hair out of my head WITHOUT MY CONSENT! YOU BAS-" Cheria was cut off by his lips crushing against hers, the kiss brutal, forceful and passionate all wrapped in one delicious intense surprise. "I wasn't ready to do it yet." She whispered, giving into him again and stood there in his arms with her panties and t-shirt on, not worrying about her bra because it'd been too hard to put on during her freak out. "I'm not ready…"

The moment that DNA test came back and it showed they were related, this all had to stop. That's why she had tried to leave earlier, but Jon stopped and subdued her, making Cheria submit to anything he wanted. If all she had was mere weeks with him, Cheria would have to make the most of it and deal with her broken heart when or if Jon was her father.

"Cher..." Jon knew how she felt because it mirrored his own feelings. "Let's be honest, neither of us are ready, and we'd put it off, over and over again. There isn't enough time for us, Cheria." There never would be, even if they had forever and a day. It would never be enough. "It had to be done... before one of us changed our minds, or both of us. You know it had to be done." He kissed her again and again, tasting salt on his lips and knew she was crying. "Don't Cheria, please... this isn't the end of us. It doesn't have to be."

Cheria wanted to believe him with all of her heart and soul, but she couldn't. How could she? He was her potential biological father, after all. To ease his mind, Cheria pretended everything was alright and let him hold her, enjoying every moment she could. Needing to get both of their minds off of the impending DNA results, Jon guided Cheria back into his bed, using his techniques to make her submit to him. It wasn't fair, but Jon never claimed to be, not when he didn't know how long he had with the silver haired beauty beneath him.

* * *

The next day, Jon had to go to work and gave Cheria the day off since the shop was closed, but he had vehicles to finish up. Cheria immediately packed everything she had at Jon's in a bag and took off back to her Aunt and Uncle's house. She shut her phone off and asked them not to let Jon in the house if he stopped by. No more of her heart could be given to him and it was bad enough she had to see him at work since he was her boss. That's as far as their relationship could go until the test results came back. All Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy did was nod solemnly, watching their niece rush up the stairs with a shattered heart to cry herself to sleep again. She'd told them about what Jon did and they agreed it was for the best they find out the truth.

The test results couldn't come fast enough.

Coming home to an empty apartment, with no sign of Cheria, made Jon extremely confused. Hadn't Cheria said she was staying with him another night? Walking further into the apartment, Jon's blood began to slowly boil and the feeling in his gut something wasn't right rose to the surface. Over the past few months, Cheria had added little things of hers. Toothbrush, toiletries, stuff she enjoyed munching on, hell... he had even given her a drawer. If that wasn't a sign of commitment, he didn't know what was. But now, it was all gone. Jon tried texting her - nothing. Called, got the 'this phone is no longer in service' message. Then... then he had called her at home and what Roy told him made him hang up on the older man.

Jon's heart dissolved until there was nothing more than a black hole in his chest.

* * *

"You know, you don't have to work for him anymore if you don't want to, sweetheart."

"Auntie's right, we can cover your college expenses and everything, no problem."

As tempted as she was to take their offer, Cheria couldn't do it and remembered the commitment to pay off her vehicle Jon and Joe had miraculously rebuilt for her. No, she would be able to handle being around Jon. They had to stay professional though until the DNA results came back. The real kicker was tomorrow, the following day, Cheria turned officially 18 and she was an adult. She had no plans for the evening and planned on staying home, eating ice cream and drowning herself in chick flicks until she passed out. Monique had tried getting her to go out, but Cheria wasn't in the celebratory mood, not with everything else going wrong in her life lately. Shaking those thoughts out of her head, Cheria walked into the shop and went straight to her desk, submerging herself in work.

Joe glanced over at Jon, who was hungover as all hell. They both heard the bell and had a fairly good idea of who it was this early in the day. "Want me to...?" Hell, did they fire her? That seemed harsh, but... Cheria had totally wrecked Jon without a single word. No explanation.

"Let her work. She has a car to finish paying off." Jon muttered, fighting the urge to go demand an explanation from her. He wasn't in any condition to talk to her right now, not while his head still pounded with what felt like shards of broken glass in his skull.

Cheria didn't look any better, though she wasn't hungover like Jon. Instead, she had dark circles under her bloodshot emerald eyes from all the crying she'd done. Leaving Jon wasn't an easy decision, but it was one she had to make. If he was her father, they couldn't be together anymore and would have to try establishing a new kind of relationship, if he wanted to. Hell, he probably wanted nothing to do with her after she ripped his heart out of his chest with her actions. Maybe one day he would look back and understand why she did it. If the test results came back with them not being related, Cheria had no idea if Jon would take her back or send her packing altogether. It was a catch-22 and she hated feeling helpless as she did.

If those test results came back and they weren't related, Jon would be the world's biggest dick and unleash a verbal torrent of hell on her. Jon planned on remaining in one of two states for the foreseeable future: drunk and hungover. Either one generally meant he was a dick, especially given the circumstances. His train of thought was interrupted by Joe shoving him.

"What the fuck, man?"

"Go get coffee, Jon. You're a dick right now."

Coffee was in the office... that was not going to happen.

"Now. Or so help me, I will take a crowbar to your thick head."

The moment the door opened from the garage, every hair on the back of Cheria's neck stood up straight and she stopped typing for a split second before going back to doing her job. What she was supposed to do instead of screwing the boss – a man she was in love with and who was possibly her long lost biological father. Cheria kept her head down, avoiding eye contact with Jon at all costs, knowing it was him just by the scent alone. It made her heady and she immediately shoved all perverted thoughts away, refusing to let her mind go into the gutter.

Jon glanced down at her, noting her posture, how tense she was and snorted. Good. Granted, he had probably done wrong by going ahead and getting the tests done, but... at least he had come back, told her why and still wanted her regardless. Where had that gotten him? He was 30 years old and a chick barely 18 –It didn't dawn on him tomorrow was her birthday- had run out on him, breaking his heart. Getting his coffee, Jon promptly sat down in one of the seats meant for customers, when they had to wait, sipping it and watched her.

"You look like shit."

The amount of hostility and anger in his voice sent shivers throughout Cheria's body, forcing tears building to stay in her eyes. Why was he bothering her? Oh that's right, he was her boss and he could do whatever the hell he wanted in his shop. Cheria didn't know what to say to him or how to react to that comment, swallowing down her own pain and anguish. If Cheria glanced at him, she would fall apart and that couldn't happen while she was on the clock. Keeping it together long enough until she got home was her main goal for the day.

"I'll try to look better tomorrow." She replied somberly, not turning to face him and continued doing her work

Jon tilted his head to the side, smiling humorlessly. She would try to look better tomorrow... that was cute. It looked like she hadn't slept and he doubted makeup would hide those bags. He knew he wasn't looking all that hot himself, not caring. Obviously, Jon didn't have anyone to impress anymore. He drained his coffee and, instead of throwing it away in the little corner trashcan, he stood up and walked over to the desk, leaning over her to toss the little plastic cup in the waste basket under the desk.

"Not going to look at me, Cher?"

Shutting her eyes tightly when he used the nickname he gave her, Cheria couldn't stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks and quickly wiped them away. "I'm trying to do my job, Jon."

She kept her head lowered when he turned her chair around until it faced him. Why was he tormenting her like this? She had to cut ties with him until the test results. What didn't he understand about that? Jon lowered himself in front of her into a squatting position until Cheria had no choice except to look at him.

"What do you want from me?" She whispered resignedly, clasping her hands tightly in her jean short covered lap.

"Be straight with me, Cher," Jon reached out to brush a stray silver strand of hair off her forehead, letting his finger graze her cheek before dropping his hand. "Why'd you move your stuff out, basically make sure I have no way of contacting you at all and then come in here to work?" Because... it seemed... stupid. She was young; he'd make allowances for Cheria not thinking things through thoroughly. "Why'd you leave me?" He couldn't keep the hurt from his tone.

"I have a car to pay off along with college expenses coming up. That's why I'm here." Cheria answered his first question and hated hearing the pain in his voice with the last one.

She knew it killed him with what she did, but right now it was for the best. Being his potential daughter, everything changed if it was true what Martha said. Sleeping in his arms every night and making love to him knowing they could be blood - she'd said it all and he hadn't listened to any of it. Jon just kept saying nothing would change, but everything had to if they were related. His question wasn't answered and, on some level, he hadn't expected her to. Shaking his head, Jon pushed himself up, needing to put space between them. He had already crossed a lot of lines with Cheria, no point in crossing more, not when she was the one drawing them.

"I-If you don't want me to work here anymore, just say it and I'll find another job and pay off my stuff that way…"

"No Cher, you got a job here as long as you want it." He really was a sucker for punishment.

"Jon…" Cheria called out when he started heading toward the garage door and stood up, the small door connected to her desk being the only thing between them.

She wanted to ask him what happened if the test results came back negative and they weren't related. Could they go back to the way things used to be? No - no they couldn't. Cheria had broken the man's heart; how could he forgive her for that? Maybe looking for another job was the smart decision right now considering she couldn't even look at him and he was her boss. The flower shop would take her back, but it didn't pay nearly as much as this secretarial gig did. Damn it, what was she supposed to do?

"H-Here's a few vehicles that are coming in today. Figured you'd wanna prepare for them." She set the papers on the desk and turned back around, sitting in her seat to get back to work.

That hadn't been what she called his name for. She had meant to say something else, but apparently thought better of it. Sighing, Jon took the papers and headed back into the garage.

"Get your shit sorted?"

Where was that crowbar Joe had threatened him with? Jon was going to use it on his friend. "Don't man, just don't..." He passed over the papers, heading for the bay doors. "I need a cigarette."

Sighing, Joe looked down at the customer sheets and then back up, watching Jon's retreating form, his gaze shifting to the door linking to the office.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Cheria looked up when the garage door slammed open and then shut, swallowing hard at the steely gaze Joe shot her.

"Get out."

That hadn't been what Cheria expected to come out of the Samoan's mouth.

"I don't want to hear a single word come out of your mouth. Do you understand? Pack your shit up and get the fuck out of the shop. You're fired." Joe would not let Jon punish himself by letting this vindictive heartless bitch work and make his hard-earned money. No way, not happening. "You've got 5 minutes and then I'm calling the police."

Through tears of pain and heartbreak, Cheria shakily gathered up what she could and stumbled out the front door to her vehicle, her face full of terror.

"One more thing: If you don't pay us in full for this car in 90 days, we will repossess it and you can walk your happy ass wherever you need to go." Joe had followed her out the door to make sure she left.

Cheria nodded mutely before squealing out of the parking lot and driving home as fast as she could through blurred vision. Obviously, Jon heard the tires squealing, though he had no idea who it was. He was off to the side of the garage, working on giving himself lung cancer by chain-smoking. When Jon was ready to have a coughing fit, he headed back inside, frowning at the sight of Joe standing in the doorway that connected the office and garage, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"What's wrong with you?" He demanded, frowning as Joe glanced over his shoulder. "Joe?"

"Jon, now brother, you know-"

That was never a good way to start off a sentence and he pushed past Joe, frowning at the empty office. "Where is she?"

* * *

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Monique screamed at Joe when he picked her up later that night for their date, immediately slapping him across the face. "YOU FIRED HER WITHOUT JON'S CONSENT?!"

So that explained why Joe had a black eye the size of Texas and his nose was cut open too. Jon had beat the hell out of him after finding out what Joe did to the woman he loved. All Joe could do was stand there with not only a black eye, but now a huge red handprint blazing on his cheek.

"You have no idea – NO FUCKING IDEA – what you've done! Until you make this right, I never want to see you again, Anoa'i!" Monique slammed the door in his face, not caring that his nose bounced off of it and stormed up to her room to call Cheria, hoping her friend was alright.

Cheria was anything but alright and currently dead to the world, having cried herself to sleep after a hot shower.

Joe groaned, smacking his forehead against the door and gritted his teeth, reluctantly going back to his vehicle to head home, their date effectively cancelled.

* * *

"Now Jon..."

Roy didn't know the specifics of what had happened today at the shop. Cheria had made it home and said something about being fired before disappearing into her room. She had cried herself to sleep; he knew because he had spent a lot of time pacing the floor outside her bedroom, tempted to go in there and try getting her to talk to him. Everything was muffed up lately; her heart kept getting broken and Roy didn't know what to do to fix it.

"You know you're not supposed to be here, especially after today."

"Roy, look... I can explain." Jon couldn't explicate his hand being wrapped though, the ace bandage hiding his seriously bruised knuckles. Joe had a hard head and face.

"Roy, let him inside." Betty ordered softly, mixing some batter for a cake she was making for Cheria's birthday tomorrow. "Come on in, Jonathan." She was one of the only people who ever called him by his full birth name, a soft smile on her face.

"Hellfire woman, are you daft or just thick-skulled? Cheri doesn't wanna see him and given the circumstances…"

"Shut up, Roy Erving Ferguson before I wash your mouth out with soap." Betty threatened sweetly, pouring the batter in the pan while Jon plopped down at the kitchen table. She glanced down at his hands and didn't want to know what happened, sighing resignedly. "Let me tend to your hands and then we'll talk. She's sleeping right now, but supper will be done soon and she'll have to eat. I want to talk to you first."

Jon felt like he was 13 years old again and hung his head, fighting the urge to hide his hands behind his back. Betty had tended to his hands more times than he could remember. When he had first come to live with them, he had been angry and prone to getting into fights. He sat down at the table, laying out his hands and watched her bustle around, getting out what she needed.

"How much trouble am I in?"

"Quite a bit, dear." Betty retrieved the first aid kit, popped the cake in the oven and then sat down at the table across from Jon, surveying the damage on his hands. "Now then, why don't you tell me how you came to get bruised knuckles? Another fight, hmm?" She dabbed some antibacterial substance on the small lacerations and shook her head sadly.

"Yes ma'am." Jon muttered in a low raspy voice.

"I've known you a long time, Jonathan. I remember doing this when we first brought you back from Cincinnati, taking you out of that wretched place. And now here you sit with a hung head, bruised knuckles and…you're in love with my niece, who could potentially be your daughter. And it looks like you're very upset with her, but you've gotta put yourself in her shoes, honey. What would you do if you found out the man you'd been sneaking around with because of your minor age might be your biological father? You have no idea what Cheria has been through all these years with that wretched mother of hers, if you can even call her that. She feels guilty, my boy. After hearing what happened to you, both of our hearts broke in two. Roy never told me you confided in him until the day Martha dropped the bomb about you being Cheria's father. I have to tell you I will never allow that piece of trash to walk in my house again after what she did and put you through. You don't deserve it, Jonathan; you're a good strong man. I'm proud of how you've grown up and I'd be proud of Cheria if she married you one day. But one thing at a time. So I ask you this: What are you gonna do if the DNA proves you are her father? Are you going to keep the relationship as it is or will it change? Because I guarantee you at this very second, she's up there sleeping and dreaming of all the changes that will happen depending on those results. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

It took Jon a few moments to digest all of that, his eyes never leaving her face as she tended to his hand. "I understand what you're saying Betty, I do." He said after a few minutes of silence, closing his eyes while picturing his silver haired beauty upstairs, hopefully in a deep slumber because she had looked like she needed it. "I love her, Betty. I don't think of her as my daughter and I don't feel anything... parental when it comes to her. Even if those tests say I am her father, it doesn't matter to me. I love her, no matter what."

Jon had spent plenty of time thinking about this and every path always brought him back to the fact he loved her. On one hand, Betty did not approve of Jon and Cheria because of the possibility of them being blood. On the other, she could see all the love for Cheria shining in Jon's eyes and knew there was nothing except truth in his words. Forcing the DNA test out of Cheria wasn't the smartest thing he could've done, but Betty also understood why he did it. He truly wanted a future with the young woman and, in order to do that, they had to be prepared for any obstacle headed their way. Incest still existed in the world and, as disgusting as it was, nobody truly knew the circumstances of why it happened besides the people involved in it.

"Alright then." Betty lightly squeezed his hands and stood up from the table to check on the cake. "Go to her. You have my permission and don't mind Roy. I'll take care of him."

Nodding, Jon pushed himself up out of the chair and walked around the table to embrace the older woman, knowing she was torn between disapproval and desire to see Cheria happy. He knew those feelings quite well. Jon had never been in Cheria's room, but it wasn't hard to locate it. He stood in front of the closed door, eyeing it. She was sleeping and he had no idea how she would take waking up to him. Bracing himself, Jon quietly opened the door and stepped into the room, stopping to take her in. She looked like an angel - a tear stained one at that. Carefully, so he didn't wake her, Jon made his way around the side of the bed and crouched down, just watching her.

Hours passed by with Cheria not moving an inch, her chest rising and falling evenly indicating she was in a deep sleep. At some point during the night, Jon moved to crawl into bed and spooned up against her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. It wasn't until 6 AM the next morning, Cheria slowly pried her eyes open and tensed at the snoring behind her. Turning her head, Cheria was shocked to find Jon holding her close to him and sleeping soundly, if his snores were any indication. What was he doing here? When did he come into her room and where was Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy? Did they allow him in the house? Cheria turned on her other side to face him and admired his sleeping rugged face, the dark circles under his eyes breaking her heart. They existed because of her and what she did to him. His snores tapered off as the feeling of someone watching him began to intrude on his sleep. Eventually, Jon was semi-awake and semi-alert, cracking open one pale blue eye.

"Hey darlin'." Jon greeted, knowing her waking up to him holding her had probably been something of a shock. However, since she hadn't freaked out or screamed for help, he would take that as a positive sign. "Betty let me in." He murmured, reaching up to lazily push a stray curl off his forehead.

Why would Aunt Betty do that? "I see."

Cheria didn't know how to feel about waking up in Jon's arms, though she'd lie if she said it didn't feel amazing. She missed him so much and it'd only been a few days since she tried cutting ties with him. Then she realized something – Today was her 18th birthday. She was an adult by law and being with Jon was no longer illegal. Jon didn't know because she hadn't mentioned her birthday or told him the date, only that it was after graduation. Turning on her back, Cheria stared up at the ceiling while Jon's arm remained around her waist. She didn't push it off of her or make a move to get away from him, not having the heart or desire to.

"How long have you been here?"

"No idea." He rumbled, staring at the side of her face, feeling no desire whatsoever to move. The bed was a bit on the small side, but Jon made it work, especially since she had been in his arms. Jon was half-expecting her to boot him out to the curb, not sure if he would be able to handle that blow. "Few hours; you were sleeping when I came in."

"I figured as much. Kinda surprised I didn't hear you walk in. I must've been out cold."

Cheria slowly turned her head to lock emerald on pale blue, feeling her heart ache because it longed for his touch and his mouth against hers. Maybe he was here because of what Joe did. Joe…she shivered at the thought of the scary Samoan and the content look on her face turned into a deep frown. Reaching a hand up between them, Cheria brushed more curls away from his eyes and turned on her side to face him again, scooting closer without realizing it.

"You're not fired, Cher." Jon broke the silence that had stretched between them, though he definitely enjoyed the feel of her fingertips in his hair. It was the little things, Jon realized, that he was beginning to miss about her. He missed all of Cheria, no doubt about that, but there were certain things like her playing with his curls, which were standing out right now. "Joe was out of line." And probably still sore from getting his face busted by Jon's fist.

That's when Cheria noticed his bandaged hands and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Jon had done to his best friend. "Oh Jon…" She whispered, taking one of his bandaged hands to survey it.

Aunt Betty's work no doubt; she recognized the bandages anywhere. As much as it hurt what Joe said, Cheria didn't blame him for being angry for what she did. They were best friends and now, because of her, they may very well be enemies.

"He was right. I hurt you badly and he was protecting you the only way he knew how. You shouldn't have taken your anger out on him. How bad did you hurt him?"

"His heart may have been in the right place, but that didn't give him any excuse to do what he did. I make the calls at the shop, including the hiring and firing." Jon wasn't entirely sure what the full extent of the conversation between Joe and Cheria had been, but heard enough from Joe. Enough to justify the beating he gave the Samoan idiot. "He'll survive, Cher. He won't be looking pretty for a while, but he'll survive."

She had sat up in bed by now and wrapped her arms around herself, the thought of Monique finding out what Joe did to her making Cheria cringe. "Do I dare ask how your hands are?" No doubt Aunt Betty gave him a lecture because she'd done the same thing when Cheria got into a fight back in grade school. It was the one and ONLY fight she'd ever been in, promising Aunt Betty there would never be another. "You should probably change the bandages on them." Moving to stand, Jon's hand quickly stopped her and Cheria was pulled back against him until she laid down again. "Jon…"


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

"My hands are fine; Betty tended them and it ain't nothing time and... not hitting Joe's stupid face anymore won't fix." He bent down until his mouth was right next to her earlobe, his hot breath on her flesh. "Stop running from me, Cheria." Jon ordered, not about to let her run again.

They were going to talk. Work this out; one way or another, at least it would be settled and he wouldn't be left hanging like he had been when she tried cutting him out of her life. He was still here; that should've told her something. Jon wasn't giving up, not without a fight.

"Jon…" Her voice was nothing more than a moan, his hot breath against her neck sending warmth spreading throughout her body. He was fighting dirty, using whatever arsenal he could think of against her. And damned if it wasn't working like a charm. "Everything's so screwed up…" Again, Cheria couldn't muster up any amount of sternness in this position, not when Jon was turning her into molten lava. "So many decisions…to make…"

His lips moved from her ear and neck up her jaw until her head turned, their mouths connecting. Every rational thought flying out of her mind. The only thing she was focused on was this man's mouth on hers and their tongues touching again after days without the taste of each other.

"We'll make them together, Cheria..." Jon murmured against her mouth when the kiss broke, tracing the tip of his tongue along her lower lip. "Don't run away from me - from us."

He wouldn't allow it and suddenly had her on her back, rolling over to hover over her. Using one large hand to pin her arms over her head, Jon gently held her wrists. The other hand ran down her side to rest on her hip, his lips reclaiming hers. Whimpering, Cheria was at his complete mercy and had no way of escaping, returning the passionate kiss. Jon poured everything he currently felt into it and the lip lock made her breathless, every nerve-ending in her body sparking to ignite a forest fire inside.

"I'm sorry." She breathed once he pulled back several minutes later, wiggling her wrists in his strong grasp and knew she had a lot to make up to him. "I-I won't run…again…" It nearly killed her to cut him off high and dry; there was no way Cheria could do it a second time.

"Good." Jon nodded before rewarding her with another kiss, this time releasing her hands, feeling them instantly going to his shoulders. She wasn't pushing him away, only pulling him closer.

* * *

"Roy, honey, don't-"

"Betty, you can hear them moving in the bed through the floor."

"I'm sure they're not doing anything. It's a thin floor and old bed. Jon's also quite... large."

"Not helping, woman!"

* * *

Jon rolled right the hell off of her before Roy came through that door. Thin walls and floors indeed. Cheria laughed so hard at Jon's reaction, the first time in weeks it seemed and it felt great to laugh again. She swung her legs to the side and sat up, folding her arms in front of her chest.

"I probably should've warned you about the thin walls in this old place." Fighting back giggles, Cheria squealed when Jon tackled her on the bed and began blowing raspberries on her neck, her laughter filtering through the room and walls. "Jon!"

* * *

It did Betty's heart good to hear her niece laughing again and could tell Roy felt the same way, even if the old man wouldn't admit it. "She is 18 today…"

Hellfire, he'd forgotten about that. "Jesus…"

Betty eyeballed Roy, seeing he was contemplating that door and opening it. "She's an adult, Roy." She said sweetly.

That was hard to argue. "It's still our house though, and-" He grumbled when she pressed a finger to his lips. Roy knew when to shut up. His wife was the sweetest woman ever, but god help the poor soul who crossed her.

"10 minutes you two, then you both best be downstairs to eat!" Cheria hadn't been eating well as of late, or sleeping. Betty hoped with Jon back in her life, all that would change.

* * *

After a wonderful breakfast with Jon by her side, they left the house to start the day since it was Sunday. The shop was closed and they had the entire day to do whatever they wanted. Aunt Betty had mentioned it being Cheria's birthday today, making her promise to be back at the house that night for a birthday dinner and cake. If Jon looked shocked, he didn't show it and drove away with their hands clasped together.

"Sorry I didn't tell you about today." Cheria smiled sheepishly at him, so much going down it had slipped her mind today she turned an official adult by law. "So, what do you wanna do?"

She didn't have to tell him; he already knew because she worked for him. Whenever you worked for a place, you had to fill out an application to be on file, W-2s and whatnot, which always included a date of birth. Jon never said anything because Cheria hadn't, always giving him a vague idea of when she'd be legal. Eventually, they would have to talk about what had happened with Cheria leaving him high and dry and sort out where they went from here. For today and now, Jon was just content to be with her.

"Anything you want, Cher. It's your birthday after all."

"Let's go to your place and relax for the day. I don't want to do anything except spend time with you."

They had to talk and figure out what to do about the test results if they came back positive. Did they stay together or split up and try to be father and daughter? Cheria didn't see that working out too well and felt Jon's hand tighten on hers, looking at him while he drove. She wore a pair of black jean shorts and a magenta tank top, a simple silver necklace around her neck with her birthstone, ruby, dangling from it in a square shape. It was a present from Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy, something she would cherish forever.

Once they were back at Jon's apartment, Cheria didn't move to get out of the truck and clasped her hands in her lap, feeling very awkward precipitously. "What happens now, Jon?"

"Now we go upstairs and talk." Jon wondered where this sudden change in her mood had come from. She had been fine a moment ago and now she seemed hesitant and nervous. "Cheria, what's on your mind?" He asked, shifting in his seat until he was facing her. "You have to talk to me, darlin'. I'm not a mind reader." Hopefully, Cheria had learned that running wasn't the answer because he would simply chase her down. "Change your mind?" Maybe she didn't want to go upstairs and Jon wondered if she was thinking about the DNA thing, feeling his guts coiling.

"I don't want to mess this up again." Cheria took her seatbelt off and turned to fully face him, not releasing his hand lacing their fingers together. "I hurt you badly and there's no excuse for it. The DNA shit is freaking me out, I'll admit it. I'm in love with you and I want a future with you. You say the test results don't matter, but they have to if you went to great lengths to turn them in behind my back. I'm not mad at you for it; I know it had to be done. But you can't sit here and tell me they don't matter when deep in your heart and gut they do. I know you love me and I know you're in love with me, regardless of the results. I'm scared, Jon. I'm scared of everything right now and I figured cutting you off until we got the results back would somehow be the smart thing to do. It wasn't because I was miserable without you." Tears slid down her cheeks while confessing all of this to him in the truck, of all places.

"I'm glad you were miserable without me." It was an honest response as Jon reached onto the dashboard to grab a random bandana, keeping them all over to have something on hand just in case. He then reached over to wipe away her tears. "I was miserable without you too, Cher. Yeah, the results do matter, but not because of the - of you, me and our relationship... not like..." He did not want to say father and daughter, frowning. "They only matter so far as our future together in terms of if we decided we're forever, if we want to get married, have kids. We have to know and figure out what's what, how we go about being together."

Some places had laws against it, some didn't. Some places did blood tests before marriage, some didn't. He was looking out for their future together because he couldn't picture a future without her. Marriage, kids, certain states having laws against incest – it was all a huge whirlwind in her mind and all Cheria wanted to do was make it all go away.

"All I know about this entire situation is…I want you, Jon. All of you. And I can't keep convincing myself being away from you is better for me when it's not." Cheria scooted closer to him, sitting on her knees and reached out to stroke his stubble covered face, enjoying the prickly sensation against her fingertips. "If you are my father," It was the first time she'd actually said the word and their eyes locked. "Then I'm the luckiest woman in the world to be in love with a man who is both my lover and my blood. And anyone who doesn't approve of us can go to hell."

"Cheria, I love you, but I'm not your father, no matter what that DNA test says. I just don't _feel_ like your father." Jon informed her gruffly, which was a good thing, really not wanting to think about that or consider the fact that they may be blood.

He searched her face, studying her and looked for any physical similarities between them. There were none. Of course, he wasn't trained for that and sometimes one had to search deeper.

"We're just... us, Cher."

"Us…"

Cheria enjoyed the sound of that immensely and leaned forward, kissing him softly to cement the fact she agreed with what he said. It was the perfect birthday present he could've given her. No matter what the test results showed, nothing would change between them. Why hadn't she listened and believed him before? Why did it take such drastic measures to prove to Cheria how serious Jon was? She was an idiot and planned on making it up to Jon as much as she could from here on out.

"Is there anything I can do to show you how sorry I am for being a moron?"

"Yeah." Jon grinned, but didn't elaborate and slid out of the truck. He walked around the pavement to Cheria's side and opened the door for her, helping her down right into his arms. "You can move in." He informed her, the grin not fading. She was legal now; they didn't have to hide their relationship and, if by chance that test came back with less than stellar results, they didn't have to be acknowledged unless circumstance demanded it. "Move in with me, Cher."

"W-What?!" Cheria could see how staid he was and determined while holding her in his arms, draping hers around his neck. "You're not joking, are you?"

Their foreheads met and Jon kissed her, sealing the deal for her to move in with him. Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty probably wouldn't approve since they'd only been together 5 almost 6 months, - Most of it with her being a minor- but now she was a legal adult and capable of making her own decisions.

"Are you sure there's enough space for me in the apartment?" She asked once the kiss broke, the biggest smile on her rosy face.

Jon had to wonder if she was serious. He didn't really have all that much, living like a bachelor for the most part. Honestly, Cheria had just turned 18, so what did she have? A bedroom full of clothes and some jewelry? It wasn't like she was bringing an entire household of stuff with her.

"Cher, I have more than enough room for you." Jon said confidently, not about to voice the thoughts that had just run through his head because she'd probably slap the taste out of his mouth and rightfully so.

"Alright, you win." Cheria didn't want to be anywhere else and since she was attending community college instead of somewhere out of state, she wouldn't have to pay for dorm expenses or anything. "Moni is going to freak."

* * *

"Are you kidding me?!"

Just as Cheria expected, Monique had wide eyes and a dropped jaw while they sat at the kitchen table at her Aunt and Uncle's house for her birthday dinner later that night. "We're doing it little by little during the week and, by the weekend, what's left will be moved."

"But…what about the test?"

"Doesn't matter. We love each other and the only reason we're finding out the results is so we know for our own peace of mind. Nothing more, nothing less."

Monique had come over to console her friend over losing Jon and found THIS out. What shocked her more was Betty and Roy seemed to be on board with Cheria's decision. She was confused, to say the least. Monique was having a hard time wrapping her mind around all this. At first, Cheria had been in denial over everything. Then she had basically cut ties with Jon in a very clean fashion and now - now she and Jon were moving in together, DNA results be damned. It was Cheria's birthday and she wasn't about to voice her confusion or anything else. She wanted to be open-minded and she had to keep reminding herself that the results weren't in yet. They could not be related, right?

"Do you... do you guys need help with that?" She offered finally.

"If you wouldn't mind, we could use all the help we can get."

"Excuse me." Monique stood up, dropping a kiss on Cheria's head and walked outside to make a phone call, waiting for the person to answer.

"Yeah?"

"You want to make it up to me? Come over to Cheria's now. I'll text you the address since you've never been here before." Monique hung up and let her fingers fly over the keys. Then she walked back inside just in time for Betty to bring out the main course of dinner while Jon and Roy continued talking on the other side of the table.

Not even 10 minutes into dinner, the doorbell rang.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Jon and Roy both looked up when the doorbell rang, exchanging looks. Roy wasn't overly keen on this situation he found himself in, but wouldn't give them a hard time. He had accepted, hopefully, the deal. Jon and Cheria would be living together, in sin, and Jon smirked at that. There would be a lot of sinning.

"I've got it." Monique announced, excusing herself to go get it.

Jon tightened his hold on his glass of water, tempted to pick it up and hurl it when Monique came back with Joe in tow. Joe looked fantastic, his face was healing nicely.

"He will be your personal mover. Happy Birthday, sissy!" Monique announced, dragging Joe over to the table and sat him down, already pre-approving this with Betty before making the call. "Now then, you boys need to kiss and make up. I'm not gonna have my boyfriend feuding with my sissy's boyfriend. Not to mention, you both work together and this crap needs to end."

"I agree." Cheria took Jon's hand, making his eyes snap down to hers and smiled softly with a nod. "Everyone makes mistakes, Jon. You two are closer than brothers and need to work this out."

"Joe, don't you have something to say to my sissy?"

Joe must've really loved Monique to be doing something like this, his pride and ego currently severed. "I'm sorry for what happened at the shop and firing you…without Jon's permission…"

"And?" Monique pressed, folding her arms tightly in front of her chest with compressed lips.

"I was outta line and shouldn't have overstepped my boundaries. I was upset from what you did to Jon, but I guess I should've gotten the whole story before blowing up." His grey eyes moved to Jon, his best friend and boss. "I'm sorry, bro. I let my damn Samoan temper get the best of me and…I wanna try making up for it."

Jon's temper had been a little riled up when these two... teenagers thought they were going to play the kiss and make-up game. It felt condescending and he wasn't fine with that. However, seeing Joe squirm was amusing as hell, his big stupid Samoan friend being spoken to like a little puppy by some teenage kid... he was storing this away for a later time, just to have something to chuckle over. Shrugging nonchalantly, Jon leaned back in his chair and threaded his hands behind his head.

"Yeah?"

Betty smacked him on the top of his head with a spoon she had been planning on using for the food. "Boy..."

Jon winced, reaching up to rub his now sore head.

"Jon…" Cheria's tone held warning, her hand leaving his to fold her arms in front of her chest the same way Monique had, a stern expression on her face. "Shake his hand and forget about it, please." If Cheria knew Jon still thought of her as a teenager when she turned an adult today, she would've popped him upside his head and possibly in his balls too.

Joe extended his hand, being the first one to make a move and eyeballed Jon, wondering if he'd end up punched in the face again.

"Jonathan, he made a mistake and he's atoning for it. You should forgive him, dear." Betty advised with a sweet smile that did not touch her vindictive eyes. "Cake will be ready soon, by the way."

Monique held her breath, hoping this wasn't a mistake bringing Joe over on Cheria's birthday celebration.

Jon hugged Joe, smirking when Joe whispered something that would have gotten both their balls knocked into their throats if the women had heard it.

"I feel for you poor sumbitches. Looks like these ladies already got your balls in their purses." Roy commented, leaning back comfortably in his chair. He knew these feelings; resigned himself to being ball-free a long time ago because of his wonderful feisty wife.

"He's joking, right?"

"Afraid not, Joseph. Now sit down, it's time for cake."

"Oh Auntie…" Cheria beamed at the beautiful 4 tier cake with whipped frosting, all chocolate and strawberry filling. The cake itself was vanilla – all her favorite. "It's so beautiful…" She stood and hugged her Aunt and Uncle, not knowing where she'd be without them in her life. Then Cheria took a seat next to Jon again and blushed while everyone sang the Happy Birthday song to her, having to stand to blow the candles out.

"So, what did you wish for?" Monique asked with a smile, feeling Joe's arm around her shoulders and leaned into his side. She missed the Samoan during their time apart, but hoped he learned his lesson not to hurt her best friend again.

"Nothing." Cheria looked up at Jon and softly brushed her lips to his. "I've got everything I want right here. No need to wish for anything more."

"Could've wished for me and your Auntie to win a million dollars, kiddo."

"Maybe next year, Uncle Roy."

Jon shook his head, watching Betty carefully cut into that masterpiece. It was definitely one hell of a cake and his eyes strayed to Cheria, who looked like she was definitely having a good day. He could see them taking some of this cake home... and enjoying it together in their bed. Perhaps he would surprise her with a late night birthday delight.

"You're smirking, bro." Jon eyeballed Joe before nodding at the cake. Joe considered it, comprehension finally dawning across his face and he snorted. "You're not right, man."

"What's not right?" Betty asked, looking at them quizzically.

"Nothing." The boys said at the same time.

Monique nudged Joe in the gut, knowing exactly what they were referring to and felt her cheeks flame up.

"Hey Moni, you need some water, sweetheart? Your cheeks are red."

Joe would pay for this embarrassment later when they were alone. "No Roy, I'm fine. Just a little…warm is all." Monique flashed the older man, who was like a second father to her, a smile and released Joe's hand to start eating her cake after Betty served Cheria first.

"I swear Auntie, you should open your own bakery. This is delicious!"

"Well - well doesn't this look nice and cozy?"

Cheria almost choked on her cake when that voice sounded in the kitchen and snapped her head around, staring back at Martha standing in the doorway.

Roy was on his feet instantly. "Who the hell do you think you are bargin' in my house?! GET OUT!"

Martha scoffed, hating her brother-in-law with a passion. "Betty, put your man in his place. I'm here for my – I'm sorry – OUR," She gestured between her and Jon with a sweet smile. "Daughter's birthday. I couldn't miss it since she's an adult now. My – where does the time go? Betty, cut me some of that scrumptious cake, would you? Oh don't worry, angel, I come bearing a gift." Pulling out the paperwork, she slapped it in front of Cheria and Jon so they could both read it.

"W-What is this?"

"That is the official documentation stating that you two are indeed blood related. It came in earlier than expected and I picked it up for you both since I am the mother. Which means, Jonathan Good is indeed your biological father." Having them followed was easy as pie. "It's amazing what flashing tits and ass still accomplishes these days."

Jon had never struck a woman before. Sure, there had been times he had seriously wanted to, but hadn't done it. Right now, however, he was on his feet already drawing his fist back. This bitch went out of her way to ruin people, to destroy and, if they were happy, she got even more pleasure out of bringing them down. He blinked the water out of his eyes, his face turning red.

"Jon!" Joe grabbed his friend, restraining him by holding back his arms, struggling as Jon tried to get free. "She's not worth it!"

"The minute I'm loose, I'm going to strangle you." He vowed darkly, pale blues turning to pure ice.

Martha merely laughed at his idle threat and took a bite of cake, moaning at how delicious it was. "Come now, Jonny boy, you know we had fun together back in the day. And we can do it again. We share a daughter together, after all. So it looks as though you'll have to postpone your plans of moving in with your father, angel. We have A LOT of catching up to do."

Betty had heard enough and couldn't handle seeing her sister another moment longer. "Get out of my house, Martha." She ordered gravely, pointing to the door. "NOW."

Catching up to do? What did that mean? Cheria felt sick at the seductive tone her mother's voice gave off toward Jon and her own temper began boiling, emerald eyes narrowing to slits. Her birthday had officially been ruined by this evil woman.

"You heard her. Get out, Martha!"

"Get to stepping and I hope the door hits you so hard, your ass goes flying across the street and a bus hits you head-on!" Monique was livid, standing beside Cheria and picked up the documentation, not wanting to believe Jon and Cheria were related until she saw it with her own eyes.

"And if you don't get out of my house, I'll call the police and have them escort you out. Remember, we still have sole custody of Cheria since she's going to school and I will slap a goddamn restrainin' order on you!" Roy growled, standing beside his wife and could feel her trembling from head to toe, his eyes full of hatred for his sister-in-law.

Martha laughed, the sound bone-chilling and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, standing from the table. "Very well. Happy Birthday, angel. Mommy loves you. And Jonny boy, I WILL be seeing you soon. I promise you that." Then she blew him a kiss and left.

"Jon - JON!"

The minute Joe had turned Jon loose, Jon headed for the door after Martha and Roy honestly feared Jon would make good on his threat of strangling that evil woman. He knew well what Jon had gone through at the hands of Martha and, even now, she was still destroying lives. Destroying a 30 year old man, that woman was truly depraved.

"Son, you don't want-" Roy caught Jon outside the doors, watching Martha peel out of the driveway. "Jon."

He slowly turned the younger man around, looking up and blinked. Jon felt like he was 12 years old again and could not, for the life of him, stop the tear from slipping down his cheek. Cheria immediately went after Jon, leaving the documentation on the table and stopped in the doorway while Uncle Roy tried calming him down.

"Let me try, Uncle. Let me talk to him for a minute alone." She requested softly, flashing him a small grin and waited until everyone was in the house before approaching her quaking boyfriend. "Remember what you said to me earlier today? Those results don't matter. We're us." Cheria placed a hand on his shoulder and then the other before wrapping her arms around him from behind, hugging him close. "I love you, Jon. I'm not going anywhere."

That wasn't it, but her words and having her in his arms helped. Jon wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. He didn't know how to explain how he currently felt and didn't want too. That woman... there was just no way. Nothing good, nothing as pure as Cheria, could come from that vile cunt. Jon just couldn't fathom it.

"I know, Cher..." He finally managed to whisper raggedly and drew in a deep breath. "I know."

* * *

Betty studied the paper for a while alongside her husband while Cheria went home with Jon for the night, both of them trying to wrap their minds around the fact Cheria was in love with her biological father. "Do you think this is legal? Or do you think she had it drawn up?" She finally asked, setting the paper down to look at her husband warily. He looked royally ticked off and she didn't blame him.

Roy used to be part of the CIA before retiring several years ago and opened up his own business in his garage, unable to do the work the CIA gave him any longer. "Let me call Scott and see if he can legitimize it. If I were them, I'd get a second DNA test done without your cunt sister knowin'."

Nodding, Betty was already one step ahead of her husband and procured an appointment written down she made for Cheria and Jon before they left. "The clinic is 2 hours away and they're going to make sure they're not followed by taking backroads."

"Alright. Meanwhile, I'll figure this out and, if she did fake this document, she's going to jail for a LONG time, possibly life if I have my way."

* * *

When they arrived at the apartment, Jon had not been amused to find paperwork on his door and sighed as he fisted it. He let them in and eyeballed it all, finally dropping it on the counter. One was from the clinic, no doubt copies of what Martha had already shown them and the other… His eyes narrowed as he opened it, frowning.

"I'm being... taken to court..." Jon admitted aloud, snorting. "Or will be, unless I agree to settle now... by your ex-boyfriend."

As if the night couldn't get any worse! Cheria snatched the paperwork from Jon and read it over, eyes filling with tears of hatred at the name on the document. "That slimy son of a bitch! He's pressing charges on you for putting your hands on him at Prom! Are you kidding me?! He raped me!" Why hadn't she reported the incident? What would Curtis Hussey get out of this by taking Jon to court? "Let's just run away from here, Jon. Start a new life together around people that don't know dick about us."

Curtis Hussey was a whiny, punk ass little rich boy who hadn't been able to get what he wanted and then had gotten his ass handed to him. Jon imagined this was Daddy's money at work. He knew he should have just killed the little bastard when he had the chance.

"We're not running away, Cher." Tampa was their home and nobody would drive them out of it. "We both got lives here and I'll be damned if these... evil pricks ruin them for us."

He was right, they did have lives here and that included his successful shop. Uncle Roy would help him out if need-be since the man used to work for the CIA. Jon didn't know that though and neither did Curtis. It was one of the family secrets Cheria had been sworn too early in life when she was old enough to understand how to keep a secret.

"He won't get away with this. I promise, if I have to go on the stand and testify against him myself, I'll do it. Anything to keep you from paying him a damn penny after what he did to me."

"I ought to go over to his house and have a chat with his Daddy." Jon growled flatly, envisioning how that would go.

Probably bad and he cracked his knuckles one by one. There was a list of people he wanted to kill, all from today. Sighing, Jon walked away from her and dropped down onto the couch, patting the seat next to him.

"I'm not giving that little rodent a damn thing. What's he going to do? Cry because he got beat down? Prove it was me." Wrapping his arm around her when Cheria joined him, Jon felt her snuggle into his body. "You shouldn't have to put yourself on the spot like that, Cheria, not for me. People like Hussey, they just tear people down. They'd try doing that to you."

"It'd be worth it to protect you though. He's going after you because of me. I don't understand why he can't just leave me alone and move on with his pathetic life."

Cheria didn't want to talk about it anymore or her mother or the fact they received documentation they shared the same blood. None of it would be discussed tonight. She sat up and turned, tossing her leg over Jon's lap until she sat straddled on it, softly kissing his lips. Then Cheria sat back and removed her top, dropping it to the floor to reveal a burnt orange bra since that was the color of her top.

"I think it's time to forget all the assholes in our lives and focus on us being together again. We do have a lot to celebrate and I think christening this couch should be a priority, don't you, baby?"

Jon grinned, planning on christening more than just the couch. They still had to break in the living room floor, the kitchen counters... he could think of several new spots and leaned back further into the cushions. "You know what Cher, I think you're right." He began unbuttoning his jeans, doing his best to shove the two really horrible moments of their day out of his mind.

Getting naked and spending the rest of the night making love to his silver haired beauty sounded like a plan.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

They hadn't made love since the night Cheria decided to try cutting ties with Jon and it'd been a week too long. They were both hungry for each other, needing the release and it didn't matter where they ended up. Jon wanted a different position, something they hadn't tried yet and Cheria swallowed hard when he demanded her to go on all fours on the couch. Whatever he had planned, she would surely enjoy. She moaned out once Jon bottomed out inside of her and barely gave her time to adjust before thrusting mercilessly, forcing Cheria to hold onto the arm of the couch with all she had. There was so much anger and frustration in their lives, sex was the perfect outlet and Cheria could only cry out in ecstasy. He had a week's worth of frustration to vent, in the most positive way, not about to hurt Cheria. That didn't mean they wouldn't break in this couch properly though. Jon knew from this position, she would feel everything and him with intensity. Gliding his hands up her sides until he could grip her shoulders, Jon pulled her back forcefully to meet him. Everything was 10 times better in this position, the intensity and feeling of his cock more vivid than the other positions they'd had sex in.

"You like that, Cher?" He demanded, bending down to kiss her spine, flicking his tongue out to taste bare skin. "Hmm?"

"Y-Yes…" She stammered out breathlessly, trying to meet him for every thrust the best she could.

Cheria was still new to the whole world of sex, so Jon had a lot to show her and make her experience. She felt his hands move further up her body to grip her swelling breasts, nipples hard as pebbles already. Shivers coursed down her spine the moment his tongue came in contact with it and all Cheria could do was hold on for dear life. Her hands covered his to lace their fingers together, the thrusts only coming sharper, harder and faster.

"D-Don't stop, oh fuck don't stop…"

There was no way Jon could, even if a gun was pressed to his head. He needed her too acutely. When he was sure she was comfortable, Jon gently but firmly pushed down between her shoulder blades, forcing her upper body to lay against the couch. Her beautiful round backside sat in the air as Jon moved his hands back down to her hips. Squeezing gently, he began powering in her, harder than before, enjoying her moans adding to the sounds of flesh smacking flesh, a rather beautiful instrumental. Now she was at his complete mercy, thighs quivering the harder he plummeted in and out of her body. Cheria squeezed the arm of the couch further, her nails digging into the fabric while her teeth bit down on her bottom lip.

"Christ Cheria, you're so tight!"

"O-Only for you…" She gasped, losing her breath and was sure her heart would fly out of her chest at any moment from how hard it currently hammered against her ribcage. "J-Jon…" It wouldn't be long, the hot coil forming in her abdomen and her pussy tingled. Every part of her craved this climax after everything they'd been through lately. "T-Take it, make me cum for you, baby…"

Cheria's words were fuel for his flames. Jon tried giving her everything she asked for and then some. One hand moved to her throat, pulling her up until her back collided against his chest. He held her there, hearing her gasps, as well as his, and continued the assault on her body, seconds from reaching his apogee.

"Not yet... not yet..." Jon rasped, needing to feel her explode all over him first. "Cum for me, Cher." He ordered, using his free hand to stimulate her clit increasing her pleasure.

"J-Jon…JON!" Cheria started moaning his name and ended up screaming it, shattering to pieces, her inner walls casing tightly around his cock almost to the point of strangling it.

Her peak triggered his, both of them cumming together violently as his seed exploded into her receptive body, his hand tightening just a bit on her neck. Cheria didn't mind it, trusting Jon completely and knew he would never hurt her. Jon didn't stop plunging until his cock went limp inside of her and they both collapsed on the couch in a sweaty heap, Jon immediately spooning against Cheria.

"T-That's my new favorite position…"

"Mine too." Jon agreed, turning his head to bark out an arid cough since his throat was drier than a desert.

He buried his face in her hair after a moment, just enjoying the cool down and enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed against his again. This past week without her had been pure hell. Now that Cheria was back where she belonged, Jon slowly felt like the world was righting itself again.

"Didn't hurt you, did I, darlin'?"

"No you didn't." Cheria assured him, hearing the croak in his voice and slid off the couch before he could make a grab for her. "You need water. I'll be right back."

She sent him a wink over her shoulder and padded naked into the kitchen to grab two bottled waters since she was thirsty too. Not even a minute later, Cheria was back snuggled against Jon facing him and draped her leg over his while they attempted to quench their thirst. Cheria walking to the kitchen naked made him a firm believer in establishing a 'no clothing' rule while they were alone in the apartment, smirking as random daily activities being done in the buff filtered through his mind. Jon could get used to this, having her here all the time and hoped with everything that happened today, Cheria didn't change her mind about moving in.

"So, once we get you all moved in, anything you want to change? Make yours?" He wanted her to feel comfortable here and make it her home.

"Maybe a few things, but nothing major…"

Then Cheria thought about it a little more and wondered if Jon would be against them both moving into a bigger place. This apartment was nice for just the two of them, but if they planned on having a real future together that included marriage and kids, a bigger place was needed. It was too soon to ask him that though. She would wait until at least a year before bringing up finding a bigger and better place for them to live. The apartment would suffice for now.

"Do you mind if I put some pictures up and fill the wall space a bit?"

Jon looked around the apartment walls, shrugging. He had one poster up of a car and not much else. Jon didn't really have any family outside of Roy and Betty, and Joe. Joe didn't count, so he never bothered with pictures. And he was a typical bachelor, never bothering with anything that didn't immediately affect his comfort. Pictures didn't.

"Sure, do whatever you want, Cher." He draped his arm around her, grinning from ear to ear and wondered how long of a break she needed before going for round 2.

It wasn't like she had much anyway, right?

How much could one girl accumulate?

* * *

"Right over there, Joe." Cheria directed, pointing to the corner and handed Jon a bottled water before he headed back outside for another box.

They had to choose the hottest day of the summer thus far to move her in, sweat caking their bodies. The court hearing was in 5 days regarding Curtis Hussey and nobody had heard a peep out of Martha. It made Cheria nervous and on edge, though she tried hiding it, wanting to enjoy her time with Jon.

"Is it just me or did the temperature rise in here a bit?" Monique asked, admiring her sweaty man while standing next to Cheria, the women on a small break from unpacking while the men carried everything inside. She had one small U-Haul full of things, not including her bed. That was staying at Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty's for the time being. "Oy vey, I just wanna give him a tongue bath from head to toe."

"They can be rather nice." Cheria commented, giggling when Monique gaped at her and shrugged, heading back into the kitchen to unload the various dishes Aunt Betty sent her with.

* * *

"Seriously, bro... how the hell does a teenager get so much shit?"

The boys had long removed their tops, both of them in nothing except shorts and shoes. Joe had pulled his hair back in a low bun at the nape of his neck. He swiped the bottle when Jon offered it to him, draining the rest.

"Apparently Betty kept a hope chest for her or something."

More like a hope bedroom. Betty had explained the concept this way: A hope chest was meant for a woman to take with her when she got married. Since it was modern times and whatnot, the chest tended to go when the girl moved out of the house, giving her stuff to start a household of her own. Betty had totally skipped the idea of chest and went with a full sized room.

* * *

"My Aunt went a little overboard, but I do appreciate all the things she gave me. Look at this. I know Jon doesn't have a food processor…" Actually, a lot of the things Aunt Betty sent with her Jon didn't have, so it was filling up the small kitchen very quickly.

"You guys need a bigger place." Monique stated, looking around at the now cluttered and full kitchen with wide eyes. "Definitely bigger. This apartment is going to implode."

"I know, but…Jon loves it here and I'm not gonna make him move, not this soon."

"Waiting a year, I take it?"

Cheria smiled sheepishly, pulling out another pot and pan set. "You know me too well."

* * *

"Bro, do you even know what half that shit they unpacked is?" Joe asked, accepting the box Jon handed from his place in the U-Haul. "You have a chick's kitchen now. Pretty sure I saw a smoothie maker in there."

"That's a thing?"

"You're going to need a bigger place, Jon, no two ways about it. Your bachelor pad is GONE."

Jon wasn't amused, but then an evil grin spread across his face. "So I should let missy in there know you're definitely interested in setting up shop? Smoothie maker included?"

Joe's place was even more Spartan than Jon's and he glared. "Not funny, man."

* * *

"What in the world is this?"

Monique raised a brow at the contraption and took it from Cheria, tilting her head. "I have no idea..." Maybe it would've been a smart idea if Cheria went through everything before letting her Aunt unload on her.

"Umm…"

"It looks like something Tinkerbell's gynecologist would use."

Spitting the drink of water out she just took, Monique coughed and pounded on her chest, glaring at a giggling Cheria. "Do you MIND keeping those comments to yourself until AFTER I swallow?"

"Didn't realize you were that type of woman, Moni."

Monique flushed, smacking Cheria on the arm. "Shut up and get back to work."

"What the hell did you two do to my kitchen?" Jon demanded without any real heat as he and Joe came in with more stuff, wondering if maybe he and Betty should have another sit down to discuss the concept of chest.

"What the hell is that?" Joe eyeballed the contraption Monique held in her hand.

"Sex toy." Monique deadpanned.

Joe dropped his box. "Shit!"

Cheria couldn't stop laughing at Joe's reaction, thankful that box wasn't full of the glass trinkets she collected over the years. Another influence from Aunt Betty. "I'm not gonna keep it all…I don't think." She snatched the contraption out of Monique's hand and promptly tossed it. "Whatever that thing is, I have no interest in using anyway." She could see the hesitation in Jon's eyes and wondered if he had changed his mind about asking her to move in. "Maybe she can take some of this stuff back…"

"Hell I doubt it. You know how convincing your Aunt can be when she wants things her way. She obviously wanted you to have all of this stuff and figured Jon didn't have anything since he was a bachelor. Just keep it; I'll take some stuff off your hands if you want."

"Okay, but this stays between us. Aunt Betty can't know I gave you some things, alright?"

Monique smiled sweetly with a nod. "Deal."

"Your Aunt finds out and she's going to raise all kinds of hell." Jon cautioned, frowning when he seen what was definitely a smoothie maker. They actually had those... what happened to just basic blenders? "You know Cher, you might want to eyeball the things I do have and toss them. Some of this stuff I have, but yours are in a lot better condition." He tended to use something once and forget about it or break it. Cars he was a miracle worker, but kitchen appliances were a nightmare.

"Is that your toaster, Jon?" Joe picked up what could have been one and frowned. "I really hope you got one of these in those boxes Cheria. This man is a hot mess."

"As a matter of fact…" Cheria pulled out a toaster that could fit four slices of bread or cook four things at once, setting it on the counter with a smile. "Brand new. Aunt Betty got it on sale and said she'd been saving it for me."

"Jon, dating this woman you won't have any problems eating right or having the right appliances around from now on."

"Hey, I'm not the only one who is cooking here!" Cheria protested, planting her hands on her hips. "I'll be going to school and keeping myself busy at the shop with my job, which is now fulltime. So there will be days he'll have to fend for himself."

Monique laughed at how offensive Cheria became when she talked about cooking for a man, shaking her head. "It's so easy getting her riled up."

"Bite me."

"Chomp - chomp."

"Jon can fend for himself, right bro?"

"I got Jimmy John's and the local takeout place both on speed-dial." Jon could cook things like steak and potatoes, some chicken, but that was about the extent of his culinary abilities.

Joe facepalmmed himself. "Let's go finish unloading. Bro, you need to watch Rachel Ray." He said as they were walking out.

"Who?"

"Rachel Ray, seriously, Moni?"

"What? He asked me what I liked to watch and you know I have an obsession with that show. He watched it with me one time and enjoyed the recipe they showed. Made it for dinner the next night when he picked me up." Monique shrugged, opening the fridge to start storing groceries in it Aunt Betty sent with them. "Jesus, you're gonna be stocked up for a good month at least."

"You're influencing that man." Cheria refused to let Monique change the subject, helping with the groceries and saw the devious smirk on her friend's face. "So how long do you think until Joe wants you to move in with him?"

"Don't know, we're not rushing into anything."

* * *

"She's got you whipped, Joe. You two aren't even living together and you're already whipped." Jon clucked his tongue, shaking his head in mock disapproval. "They are teaching these women young how to reel in their men and keep them grounded."

"Shut up before I punch you."

"So when's the wedding?"

"Jon..."

"You'll look good in black and pink, bro, just sayin'." Jon ducked when Joe did try punching him, laughing. "Whipped, you're whipped!"


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

After she was fully moved in, Cheria collapsed on the couch alongside Jon and lulled her head back, enjoying the air conditioning pumping through the unit currently. It didn't feel like home yet, but it would in time once everything was unpacked. She turned her head and smiled at Jon, taking his hand lacing their fingers together and could only imagine what was going through his mind.

"I'm thinking we order a pizza tonight, but first a shower." Standing, she managed to pull Jon off the couch with her and brought his mouth down on hers for a soft kiss, knowing neither of them would be in the mood for sex that night. "Come on, I'll wash your body for you and even your hair."

It was time Cheria pampered him a little for a change. Jon was wore out. He worked out almost daily; he had to since his body didn't keep this gorgeous on its own. However, moving people in hot weather was always tiring. It was just one of those facts of life.

"You'll need a step ladder for that, darlin'." He teased, bending down so Cheria could ruffle his unruly curls. Grinning, Jon swept Cheria up into his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He halted and cocked a brow at the new stuff adorning his usually plain countertop. "It's official, you live here." Jon growled, feeling satisfied and kissed her.

After a rather extensive shower, Cheria sat on the couch with black cotton shorts and a matching tank top, reading a book while Jon watched a movie she wasn't interested in. She'd already ordered the pizza and currently rubbed one of Jon's feet since they were sore. Alternating between them with every page she turned, they were both completely relaxed and content after a long day of moving her in. The doorbell ringing throughout the apartment jolted Cheria out of her reading and Jon popped his eyes open, standing up to answer it since it was the pizza arriving.

Or so they thought.

"Surprise!"

This was not pizza and Jon was glad he hadn't committed to the walking around the house naked idea because it would have been bad as hell. As it was, the fact that he was in nothing except a pair of black shorts for sleeping in made Jon feel naked, especially when those whorish eyes turned on him. What the hell was she doing here?

"Jonny, you have grown up..." Martha purred, reaching out to slide her hands up that muscular chest. He had been cute as a teenager; he was scrumptious now.

Jon had never moved away from someone so fast, feeling the need for another shower. Cheria was on her feet instantly and stepped in front of Jon, staring crossly at her mother with acidic eyes. They were no longer emerald gems – pure venom spitting in Martha's face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She demanded, feeling Jon trembling against her back.

"Well – well, this is interesting." Martha hadn't expected to see Cheria and stepped back, wondering when she moved in with Jon. How had she missed this? "You DID read the documentation regarding the DNA test, right? You two are father and daughter. You can't be together intimately anymore. So why don't you go back to my sister's, angel, so your father and I can _talk_?"

"Jon has nothing to say to you and neither do I. You've turned our lives upside down for the LAST time, do you hear me? You're nothing but a conniving vindictive bitch and I don't care if Jon and I share the same blood. I love him and he loves me and there's not a damn thing you can do about it!" Cheria snapped, shoving Martha to the point where she slammed into the wall across the hall and felt Jon's arm wrap around her waist, stopping her from pursuing her mother.

Considering he was the one already facing an assault charge, Jon figured Cheria didn't need to get her hands dirty. His already were and he had zero problems hitting this bitch, who must have come straight from hell. Jon didn't consider her to be a woman. He didn't know what she was, maybe a demon at best.

"Let me do it." He let her go, clenching his fist.

"Go ahead, Jonny, but when you're spending the night in jail and Cheria is left here all by her lonesome..." Martha feigned pouting, looking at her daughter. On anyone else, the expression would have seemed like concern, but on Martha, it was almost mocking. "Really now, do you think staying with your father is the right thing to do? He seems to have such a violent temper."

And it was about to explode.

"Because you're provoking him." Cheria pushed Jon back again, shaking her head. "She's not worth it, Jon. Look at me." She cupped his face in her soft hands, forcing those icy blues to meet her equally angry acidic gaze. "She's trying to get you in trouble and take you away from me. We can't play her game."

"It's illegal for you to be together and I will see to it this ends. I'm going to do what's best for you, angel, whether you see it or not." Because Jonny belonged to her, nobody else, especially Cheria. "Do you really want to be responsible for him going to jail for incest?"

"I DARE you to try taking him away from me." Cheria grabbed the door and squeezed it, snarling under her breath. "Go ahead, try it and watch how fast we both rip you apart, rapist!" Then she slammed the door in Martha's face and flipped the lock, squeezing her eyes shut.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Cheria! Mommy knows best!" Martha taunted through the door, tapping her fingernails on it repeatedly and smirked. "And Jonny boy doesn't really want to get rid of me."

Martha jumped when something heavy hit the door, deciding she should probably not test Jon's temper right now. Jon had hurled an old lamp of his, standing there, breathing heavily with his eyes closed. Cheri cringed when the lamp smashed against the door, putting a small dent in it and covered her mouth with her hand, not expecting him to snap like that. Yes, she knew Jon had a temper and had gotten a glimpse of it Prom night. He could've killed Curtis if he wanted to. Cheria knew he would never hurt her and slowly moved toward Jon until she stood in front of him. The moment her hands pressed against his bare muscular chest, Jon's hands wrapped tightly around her wrists and yanked her forward roughly, wide emerald locked on enraged blues. She didn't say a word and just stood there, trying to think of some way to calm Jon down without angering him further. Jon wasn't angry with her, only that hell spawn bitch Martha and the poison she spewed at them. How the hell did she even know where he lived? Not like it would be hard to find out, not for someone like her. Someone who didn't possess common decency or a set of morals. Jon was frightening Cheria and tilted his head back, closing his eyes beginning to count backwards from 100.

"I hate that woman." With every fiber of his being.

"I know you do, so do I."

Cheria felt his grip slowly relax on her wrists and began stroking his chest affectionately, leaning forward to kiss his collarbones. She had to stand on her tiptoes to reach them, her head coming to the middle of his torso. That's how small she was compared to him. The pizza could wait, she had to calm her man down before he exploded and took half of Florida with him.

"Come with me." Taking his hand, Cheria guided him back to the bedroom and pointed to the bed, directing him to lay on his stomach. When he obeyed, Cheria straddled his lower back and began massaging his shoulders and arms, doing what she could to completely relax him. "You're my baby, no matter what. Now just focus on my hands and nothing else."

That was easier said than done, Jon thought, but tried doing what his girlfriend asked of him. No sooner had he closed his eyes and began thinking of nothing but her, there was another ring of the doorbell throughout the apartment followed by a shout of pizza. He groaned and then began laughing, wondering if they should even bother.

"Babe, if you're hungry..." Jon rolled, catching her before she went flying off the bed. "Let me go get that, stick it on the counter and I'll be right back."

They might not have appetites right now, but he could guarantee they would in a bit. After dropping a kiss on her head, he went to go answer the door, double-checking to make sure it was indeed the pizza guy and not some psycho bitch. When Jon walked back into the room, Cheria had taken her nightclothes off, leaving her clad in just bra and panties. It would make the massage more intimate and hopefully get his mind completely off Martha. Not an easy task, but Cheria was determined to try.

"Lay back down." She'd lit a few candles Monique unpacked and set them on the dresser, turning the light off to give the room a soft glow. "Come on, baby, I'll make you feel better."

Cheria patted the bed invitingly with a smile, sitting on her knees with open thighs and even let her silver hair down from the tie she had it in. She knew how much Jon enjoyed it when her hair was down. Jon cocked a slow brow, taking in the scene. It was a major turn on seeing Cheria with her hair loose since he had an obsession with it. If Jon was completely honest, he also had a thing for seeing Cheria in white skirts. It reminded him of the day they had met, when she came into the shop to have work done on her car.

"I'm feeling better already." He grinned and didn't decline the invitation, laying back down as requested so Cheria could straddle him and sighed.

This was his idea of heaven.

* * *

It'd been a week since Cheria moved in with Jon and everything had been great, besides Martha's surprise visit. Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy were not pleased to find out the psycho bitch had found out where Jon lived or the fact Cheria now lived with him. They didn't know what Martha's game was, but had to find out to settle Cheria's mind. It was a Sunday afternoon, blazing hot and Cheria was at the grocery store, trying to figure out what to make for dinner that night. Jon was at the basketball court with Joe, having sometime away from her and Monique was busy with her parents. She wore a jean skirt and white halter top, her hair piled on top of her head in a messy bun while looking through the meat section. Steaks on the grill sounded good.

"Well – well – well, if it isn't the little Prom slut."

Curtis hadn't seen Cheria since graduation and even that had been from a distance. He had contemplated saying something to her then, but spotted Jon in the crowd and decided discretion was the better part of valor. It hadn't been too hard to piece together who Jon was, even though he hadn't gotten the best view of the man on Prom night. But it was hard to mistake those eyes. Her boss, the grease monkey, had beaten him to a pulp. It hadn't taken a genius to figure out she was banging her boss. Cheria tensed at the sound of Curtis Hussey's voice behind her and immediately turned to face him, hoping he wouldn't be stupid enough to try attacking her in the middle of a grocery store.

"Well – well – well, if it isn't the Prom rapist."

It probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world to provoke him with the court hearing coming up next week. The judge had pushed it back another week and a half for whatever reason. Now here she was alone shopping and Curtis decided to make a move.

"Be careful what you say and do to me, Hussey. Because I will testify against you and tell the judge what you did to me that night." Uncle Roy had a lot of stroke in the judicial system because of his former CIA position, unbeknownst to Curtis. "Excuse me, I have better things to do than deal with a sorry son of a bitch like you."

"Do you have any proof of what happened that night, sweetheart?"

Curtis sidestepped her before she could walk away from him. He kept his tone casual, body language easy, not appearing intimidating or like the evil swine he was. Curtis merely smiled sweetly at her, eyes raking over her figure and licked his lips lasciviously.

"Because I remember Prom differently. I remember us out in that back alley talking, having a good time and the real rapist showed up, attacking me." He shook his head. "Cheria, really, letting some nasty grease monkey take advantage of you like that. How far you've fallen."

She smiled back at him, though it didn't reach her toxic eyes. "I should be asking you the same thing. Do YOU have any proof who attacked you that night? Because all I remember is being slammed against the wall and my panties ripped off while you slid your filthy disgusting fingers inside of me to try getting me wet so you could take my innocence. I remember you backhanding me when I screamed for you to let me go and you demanding me to stop holding out on you. And then, I remember someone who knows how to treat a woman come to my rescue and saved me from your sorry ass. And for the record, I have no idea who saved me that night." That was a blatant lie, but Cheria was on Jon's side and refused to drop his name in case Curtis had a tape recorder on him.

She wasn't stupid or born yesterday.

"I know exactly who attacked me and I know exactly who raped you, while you were underage, by the way." Curtis replied, just as easily as before, though his own eyes were flashing, rising to her challenge. "Jon Goodman. Who you were being molested by..." He snorted, thinking he had the whole situation figured out. "That's just sad, Cherry Pie. You have a great day now. I'm sorry you've got all these issues, really, I am." He blew her a kiss and walked away, smirking.

Curtis was a moron and had no idea who he was dealing with. Jon's last name wasn't Goodman – it was Good. Was he serious? There was no proof and Jon had an alibi, thanks to Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy, who planned on testifying in court. Jon was working on their vehicle at the shop after hours, simple as that. Cheria shook her head, refusing to let her ex-boyfriend ruin her day and walked away from the meat after grabbing some steaks. Baked potatoes, buttery asparagus and deviled eggs were on the menu for tonight as far as the sides went. Checking out, Cheria put her bags in the cart and rolled it out to her vehicle, popping the trunk to put the groceries inside. She couldn't wait to get home and start cooking, a smile on her face.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"This bitch is out to make my life miserable."

"I'll help you bury her body, bro."

Shaking his head, Jon sighed and bent down to gather up the mess that had been left outside his apartment door. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who had done it - who had left this little box of... crap. It was like visiting childhood lane, a place Jon hated because his had sucked. His eyes narrowed when he spotted a picture of Martha in the box - a young Martha - the Martha who had done some forced herself on Jon when he was merely a teenage boy.

"Yeah, let's kill her. After we get rid of this shit because, if Cheria sees it, she'll lose her mind."

"Fair enough. I'll take it." Joe took the box, cocking a thick black brow at the contents. "Seriously, is that a comic book?"

"Memories." Jon sighed mockingly, placing a hand over his heart and snorted. "Get that out and then get back up here to help me."

Jon had bought a proper table with proper chairs, figuring he might as well since he was so domesticated now and Cheria was bound to get tired eating on the couch eventually. He continued hauling the chairs inside, waiting on Joe for the table since it was kinda awkward. The downside to all of this was he would now owe Joe a favor and Joe's favors could get weird. Somehow, Joe was gone and Jon had everything cleaned up by the time Cheria arrived home, carrying 3 bags of groceries inside with her.

"Thanks."

She smiled when Jon took them from her to carry into the kitchen, following him. Cheria decided against telling Jon about her little 'talk' with Curtis Hussey, not wanting to upset him. Honestly, it was harmless and Curtis had just ran his mouth like he always did to try getting a rise out of her. Claiming Jon was the one who raped and molested her – if Cheria remembered, one couldn't rape the willing. And she was more than willing to let her grease monkey, as Curtis so eloquently called Jon, screw her brains out. It wasn't Curtis and it never would be as long as she was alive.

"How was your time with Joe?" She asked, putting the groceries away and suddenly stopped, realizing a new piece of furniture was added to the kitchen. "When did we get a table and chairs, baby?"

"Uh, today?"

Jon eyeballed her, wondering if this addition had been a good idea on his part. Betty and Roy were sit down at the table for meals kind of people and Jon figured Cheria would want to do it on occasion. Granted, there wasn't a lot of room for a table and chairs, but once he moved his weight bench back to the bedroom and folded it down so it could be stuffed in the closet, it didn't look so bad. Buying furniture for a girl was not romantic, especially dining furniture. It gave off a sexist vibe like 'feed me, bitch'.

"Do you like it?"

"It's amazing." Cheria beamed brightly, her mood changed and tossed her arms around Jon's neck, hugging him as tight as she could. "I love it. Thank you." She murmured in his ear, enjoying being in his arms and didn't pull back right away like normal.

Instead, Cheria clung to him and closed her eyes, hoping they could be happy and get rid of the problems in their lives named Martha and Curtis. They were coming at them from both sides and Cheria tried keeping a smile on her face, but honestly she was scared of losing Jon because of their blood relation. It would be impossible to live her life without him in it and, if they had to run away to be happy together, she'd go anywhere with him. Grinning, Jon lifted her up and planted her backside on the table, smirking at her surprise squeak.

"Oh no, darlin', this thing is sturdy." He had made sure of that, not about to buy cheap furniture that would fall apart on them and certainly not when he planned on breaking it in, probably not in the way the manufacturer's had intended. Jon lifted her face up by her chin, his smile fading when he seen she was struggling to maintain hers. "Cher, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I chose steak for dinner tonight. Figured we can grill out on the balcony since it's supposed to be a beautiful night." Cheria informed him while caressing his muscular arms and couldn't get enough of this man, her addiction for him strong and unashamed. "Come here."

She fingered his chin and brought his mouth down on hers, a soft moan escaping her as their tongues touched and tasted each other, bringing him close to her as possible. Dinner later, dessert now. Jon wasted little time in divesting her of that little denim skirt she wore, leaving the white halter top for last because there was just something about Cheria in white that drove him crazy. He wasn't looking too deep into it because psychology would tell him he had serious issues, which he already knew. Parting her knees, Jon ran his calloused hands along her thighs and then to her hips, pulling her until her backside was at the edge of the table and smirked. Lowering himself into a kneeling position in front of his silver haired beauty, it was definitely a dessert first kind of night.

"Mmm Jon…"

"IF YOU TWO ARE DOING WHAT I THINK YOU'RE DOING IN THERE, YOU BETTER STOP!"

Cheria's eyes snapped open when she heard Monique's voice through the door and stopped Jon by grabbing his hair, breathing heavily from his teasing. "G-Get the door."

She bolted out of the kitchen to the bedroom, snatching her skirt and ripped panties from the kitchen floor in the process. Jon had a small fixation for ripping her panties off, promising he'd replace them every time. Cheria didn't mind, but Monique didn't need to see them or know what they were about to do on the new kitchen table.

Jon ripped open the door, groaning. "Seriously, you have the shittiest timing ever." He glared at Joe over Monique's shoulder.

Joe just shrugged, looking apologetic and got the gist of what had just been interrupted. "Sorry bro, didn't mean to cock block you." He grunted as Monique's elbow drove in his gut, shooting her a dark look. "Woman, later you're-"

"No, just no, shut up." Jon held the door open for them, hanging his head in disbelief. Once they were inside, he headed for the kitchen, retrieved an ice cube and stuck it right down his pants.

"Hey guys." Cheria smiled, walking out of the bedroom a few minutes later dressed in jeans with the white halter top still on. Jon had only gotten rid of her panties and skirt, so it didn't take her long to dress appropriately.

"Well, the boys had their outing today and I figured why not stop by to have dinner with my sissy?" Monique held up bags of groceries with their own steaks and whatnot. "Besides, there's a football game on they want to watch and we can cook dinner."

Cheria knew Monique better than anyone, reading between the lines and kept the smile on her face. "Sure, sounds great!" She took one of the bags from her friend and headed into the kitchen, stopping at the sight of Jon gripping the counter tightly with his hands. "Jon, are you alright?"

"Did he piss himself or is that…?"

"Jizz."

Jon rolled his eyes. "Real mature, asshole." He snorted, helping himself to another ice cube since that one was pure water by now. "I wish it were jizz..." He could be immature as well. It being jizz would have meant he had gotten his rocks off instead of being blue balled.

Joe held up the case he had brought. "I bring beer, brother."

Since his dick was now numb, Jon nodded with a grunt. "Peace offering accepted." He eyeballed the girls, who looked like they were going to set up shop in the kitchen and sidestepped out of their way. "Football?"

"Hell yes." Jon's TV was bigger than his.

Cheria stopped Jon from walking past her, their eyes meeting briefly. "We will be picking up where we left off when they leave." She promised in a soft voice, accepting a quick kiss and let him go join Joe in the living room before turning to Monique. "What's going on?"

Monique frowned while cutting up some onions for the steaks, chewing her bottom lip. "It's my parents. They – um – they kicked me out…"

"WHAT?!"

Slapping a hand over Cheria's mouth, Monique's eyes grew wide hoping the men didn't overhear her scream of surprise. "Keep it down! Joe doesn't know yet. I've been staying with my Aunt on the other side of town. Hopefully I can get a dorm room on campus and then I won't have to worry about getting my own place, but I do need a job."

"Why did they kick you out?"

"Joe."

Both men had heard Cheria's screech and turned to eyeball the women suspiciously. When it looked like nothing was going on besides girls being girls, they shrugged and settled themselves on the couch, turning on their game cracking open beers. Jon waited, biding his time for some revenge for the whole jizz remark and interfering with his and Cheria's personal time, smirking as Joe raised the bottle to his lips.

He waited for mid-swallow and struck. "So, is she pregnant? That would explain Cher's reaction."

Joe spewed beer everywhere.

"You're not even funny, Good." Joe was mopping beer off his chin, shaking his head when Jon simply toasted him. "Christ... that hurt..." He pinched his nose and closed his eyes.

"Good." Jon could be evil when he wanted to be, pale blues straying to the kitchen, wondering what the ladies were gabbing about so seriously. His attention was drawn back to the game. "Already cheating? What the hell?"

Monique didn't even want to know what the hell had just happened. She just tossed a dishtowel at her boyfriend before returning back to Cheria. "They found out about us and flipped. I mean, FLIPPED." She had never seen her parents so angry in her life.

Monique's birthday wasn't until late August, so she was still a minor dating an adult man like Cheria had been with Jon. "You have to tell Joe. You can't keep something like this from him." Then she saw her friend pale and knew that wasn't the only thing she had to say. "Moni, what else could be wrong?"

Shakily, Monique pulled something out of her pocket and showed Cheria, shaking her head when it looked like her friend might shriek again. "P-Please don't say anything…" She whispered pleadingly, trusting Cheria with her life and all of her secrets. Maybe she should've taken this one to the grave.

It was a pregnancy test…and it was positive.

"Oh my god…"

"Cheria, not a word to Jon, I mean it."

Monique was a bit on the verge of panicking. She wasn't even 18 yet, had been kicked out of her house and was pregnant by a man who was at least 10 years older than her. Honestly, Monique felt like a character from some Lifetime drama movie and blinked tears from her eyes.

"I don't know what to do, Cheri."

"Relax, Moni." Cheria cupped her face, forcing Monique to lock eyes with her and took the pregnancy test, slipping it back in her pocket where it was safely hidden. "I got your back. I won't betray you that way, I promise." Now that Monique revealed two secrets to her, it was time for Cheria to come clean herself. "I hope you give me the same courtesy."

"Oh god…are you-?"

"No!" Cheria shook her head, swallowing hard at the thought of being pregnant with Jon's child so soon into their relationship. "I ran into…Hussey today. And he's going to try convincing the judge at the court hearing Jon is the one who molested and raped me. I played it cool with him and laughed it off, but the truth is I'm terrified Jon is gonna end up in jail because of me. I don't know what to do about this and I'm sorry for dumping this on you, but…you're the only friend I have – the only person I trust." She didn't dare mention her mother's cheerful visit the night she moved in.

Monique took a moment to digest all of that, glad to have something to distract her from her own issues. This was serious because Jon could wind up in jail and she couldn't imagine if this was happening to Joe. "But... that's bullshit." She turned along with Cheria, both of them getting to work on dinner before the guys started wondering what they were doing. They were women and could multitask with no problem. "Curtis is such a shit. Can he really do that? I mean, you're a legal adult now and he would have to convince the judge you're lying."

"Curtis can't prove it was Jon who attacked him that night, not without legitimate proof. What if he has that? At first I didn't think he could muster up any, but…his father has money and money talks." Cheria began dousing the steaks in the marinade before they were slapped on the grill. Jon would take care of that, or Joe, whoever wanted to manage the grill that night. It didn't matter to her. "I didn't plan on testifying, but I might have to and, if that happens…" Everyone in the Tampa area would know about her and Jon shacking up together prior to her turning 18. "I won't let him go to jail. I'll go before he does."

Monique gnawed on her bottom lip thoughtfully, mulling over how she wanted to word her next concern. "Cheria..." She began slowly, hoping she didn't come across offensive because that wasn't her intention. She was just genuinely worried about what she was about to say. "What if - what if somehow, the fact that you and Jon are... you know, related..." Related was easier to say than father and daughter. "Gets found out by the Hussey's or the judge? What happens then?"

"Then we run. We get out of Florida and go somewhere, probably New Jersey, since it's legal there for blood to be together intimately." She refused to say the word 'incest', not thinking of her and Jon's relationship that way. "I love him, Moni. I will do whatever necessary to keep him in my life and safe at the same time. Curtis Hussey will rue the day he screwed with me and tried raping me. If he wants to play this game, I will end up winning, even if it means running far away with Jon. Hell, you and Joe can follow, if you want."


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

"We just might have to." Monique muttered, trying not to envision the field day her parents would have if they learned she was pregnant.

She was still on pins and needles with them, fearing they might try pressing charges against Joe for statutory rape, which was another reason she hadn't told him what was going on. He might ask her to stay with him or feel obligated –That would really be an emotional blow right now- to let her stay. If her folks found out Monique was pregnant, they would definitely press charges. If they found out she was living with him and pregnant, they would do their best to see him wind up in prison.

"I'm definitely okay with going to New Jersey. Just... if you run for it, let me know, okay? I don't want to lose my sister."

"You won't, I promise. But if we run, it'll be at the very last minute and you need to be ready. So make sure you always have a bag packed and just hide it in the closet in your Aunt's or something, just in case."

Cheria already had one packed along with Jon's, though he didn't know it yet. Curtis had scared her at the store and, if he somehow convinced the judge Jon had been the one who attacked her the night of Prom, they would lock him up that day. They had to be ready for anything, even if Uncle Roy had pull in the judicial department of Tampa.

"What are you planning to do about…that?" She gestured to Monique's stomach and could see the fear swirling through her friend's eyes. "You know there's…options, Moni…"

Monique knew exactly what Cheria meant by options and nodded, her face turning a pale white under her tan. "I know... I've... been looking online, getting an idea of what to expect with... options."

Googling how abortions worked was the worst mistake she could've made; the way it was done had been sickening. Monique would never deny anyone the right to decide what to do with their body, but... she didn't think that was for her. Adoption might work... Cheria and Jon were... sort of adopted and they had turned out alright.

"I don't know, Cheri. I feel like I should talk to him first. He has the right to know, right?"

"Yes. It is your body though and your ultimate decision if you want to tell him or not. Don't pressure yourself to do something you don't want to do either." As much as Cheria liked Joe, the fact he hadn't used protection or taken precaution with her underage friend somewhat incensed her. "I'll go with you if you decide to…take care of it." She couldn't bring herself to say the word, just like her mouth had a hard time saying 'father' when it came to Jon. "And if you don't want to tell him, I'll take your secret to the grave with me. I promise, sissy."

Monique nodded, knowing that ultimately it was all up to her. However, she was young and this pressure was horrible. Having the weight of this decision was almost too much. Sharing the secret with Cheria had lightened the load a little bit, thankfully.

"I don't think I could... take care of it, you know, like... that." Monique hoped Cheria understood what she meant and, when Cheria nodded, she smiled. "It just wouldn't feel right, you know?"

"Hey, we got the grill going. Those steaks about ready?"

"Coming right up!" She called back, taking the tray of marinated steaks and handed them over to Jon, giving Monique a minute to calm herself down.

Her best friend was pregnant and carrying Joe's child - a grown man's child in the belly of a minor. This was twisted and messed up, but at the same time Monique wouldn't start showing her pregnancy until after her birthday at least. She couldn't have been more than a month along, right? Keeping a smile on her face, Cheria took the empty beer bottles from the coffee table and tossed them before rejoining Monique in the kitchen to cook the sides.

"Is it me or do they seem... what's the word...?" Jon mused while slapping the juicy steaks on the grill, standing outside on the balcony with Joe, keeping the sliding glass door shut because they weren't trying to cool the outside.

"Somber. Somber is a good word." Joe glanced through the door, frowning. "Yeah, they do. What's up with that?"

"Hell if I know. Cheria's got some shit on her mind. With Hussey, and that devil bitch mother of hers." Jon had them on his mind too, but since he couldn't strangle either one of them right now, he was trying not to let it bother him.

His friends were here and his woman - life was good for the moment.

"Now that you mention it, Nique is the one who wanted to come over here for dinner tonight. She insisted on it."

Joe stroked his goatee thoughtfully, glancing through the window again and could see the girls talking quietly amongst themselves. They were teenagers, one of them anyway; maybe they were wrong in assuming anything and there was nothing to worry about. Joe had this sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach Monique was hiding something from him and hoped he was mistaken, knowing he was falling in love with her.

"Should we grill them or leave them alone?"

Jon considered it, then shook his head. He remembered all too well how these women could be. Look at how they had been when it came to getting him and Joe to reconcile! They had been ruthless! Bossy, with those attitudes... no thanks, Jon would gladly pass. He was a bit smarter than that.

"Nope, best to just wait until they're not together. I'm not facing the pair of them."

Joe frowned, his eyes still on Monique.

"Shit, he's staring. Say something funny?"

There was nothing amusing in her life lately and Cheria racked her brain, trying to come up with something – anything to say to make them both laugh. "Aunt Betty is sending over another box of things and I haven't told Jon yet. Can you imagine the look on his face if it's anything kitchen-wise? The kitchen is ready to implode as it is!" That did it, both girls laughing while Cheria checked on the baked potatoes in the oven wrapped in tinfoil.

"Now they're laughing. What the fuck?" Women, Joe would never understand the creatures as long as he lived. "They're probably laughing about you jizzing in your pants, man."

Jon was tempted to grab Joe by his head and just slam him face first into the glass door. That was not as amusing as Joe thought. "Man, you and your woman are such cock blockers." He groaned, eyeballing the temperature gauge on the grill, deciding it was time to take the steaks off so they could return to their game and cold beer. "I hope one day, I can return the favor and see you walking around with blue balls."

"Never going to happen, bro." Joe snorted, catching Jon before he could get tackled as they stepped back into the apartment, putting his friend in a headlock. "Ever."

"What is going on in here?" Cheria demanded, watching Jon and Joe wrestling on the carpeted floor playfully with Joe still having her man's head in a vise grip.

"Aww they're playing with each other, sissy. It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?"

Cheria smirked, reciprocating the hold and shook her head. "Shall we leave them _alone_?"

"Yeah, I really don't wanna see Joe jizz his pants next." Monique grinned when Joe growled at her and rolled her eyes in return, both women heading back into the kitchen to leave the men to their playtime.

Joe shook his head, disgusted and let go of Jon. He regretted it almost immediately when he was pinned face first to the ground. "What the hell, man?!"

"Giving the ladies a show." Jon grinned impishly. "You're my bitch, Joey."

That was not right... and Joe was not amused. Jon sometimes had a very twisted sense of humor and right now, it was out in full form. "Get the hell off me!"

"Say uncle, big man!"

Monique had her cell phone out, recording this and began giggling like crazy as the two grappled with each other. Cheria couldn't help laughing at the antics of Jon, finding them adorable and wicked at the same time. How could giving them a show by pinning Joe on the floor by his neck turn her on? Did everything he did turn her on? Probably – mostly. She cracked open a ginger ale for Monique and a Pepsi for herself, sitting at the new table, blinking when Joe took control of the grappling. If he hurt Jon, she would step in and he wouldn't like the consequences of his actions.

"Get your big Samoan ass off me!" Jon wheezed, feeling Joe sitting full weight on his back, cursing when his ankle was suddenly in an ankle lock. "You dick!"

"Who's the bitch now?" Joe taunted, smirking over his shoulder. "Tap, Good!"

Reluctantly Jon did, letting out a breath when Joe moved and bounced up to his feet, extending his hand to his friend. "You win, this time."

"And reigning champion..."

"I don't trust Jon. He looks evil." Monique commented, though she was proud of her man for winning whatever the hell kind of contest that had been. However, the devious look in Jon's pale blue eyes clearly said he was already plotting his comeback.

"That's because he is." Cheria stated with a grin, bouncing over to her man and jumped in his arms, not surprised when he caught her wrapping her legs around his waist. "You're still a winner in my eyes, baby." She assured him before kissing him passionately, that bout dampening her panties.

Hopefully Jon could feel it and know she had enjoyed him in action, especially watching his muscles ripple while holding Joe down as long as he had. Her strong, beautiful, sensual, scruffy knight in shining armor. Groaning, Jon reluctantly put her down. She was turned on and he was trying not to sport a raging erection in front of Joe and Monique.

"Woman, you had best stop that before I take you back to the bedroom and fuck you senseless." He growled, cupping the back of her head and pulled her in for one more kiss.

"Bro, we can hear you."

"You'll be hearing a lot more..."

"Joe, why don't we go check the rest of the food?"

"Good idea…" Joe knew Jon had been clock blocked once tonight and he wouldn't let it happen a second time, not after that kiss Cheria just planted on him. "Be quick you two."

Cheria took Jon's hand and guided him down the hallway to the bedroom, barely shutting the door before his mouth claimed hers hungrily. Her jeans were unfastened in seconds and peeled from her body along with her panties while Cheria shoved his own jeans off, both aching to be one again. After her run-in with Hussey earlier that day, she craved her man inside of her and wrapped her hand around his dick once his jeans were halfway down his legs. Then, she turned around with her feet still on the ground and showed him exactly how she wanted him to take her, nails digging into the bedding once Jon slammed home. Slapping a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming out, Cheria did her best to keep quiet while Jon screwed her senseless against the bed just as he claimed he would. Jon instantly removed her hand and pinned both her hands to the mattress, wanting to hear everything. Every gasp, moan and scream he could wring from her. Joe and Monique were in THEIR house, they could suffer the consequences of interrupting the moment earlier. He smirked down at Cheria, watching as she tried biting her lips to stifle herself and shook his head, bending down until their foreheads pressed together, blue eyes locked on green.

"I want to hear you screaming my name, Cher." He informed her, his tone demanding while increasing the pace.

"Fuck me, Jon, fuck me as hard as you can…" Cheria hissed out, turning her body partially to where her hand slid into his soft curls and held him tightly against her. "Yes…YES!"

The sounds of their flesh smacking together resonated around the bedroom. Even with the door closed, Cheria knew Joe and Monique would hear them going at it like two rabid dogs in heat. She didn't care, knowing in a few days everything could come crashing down around them with Curtis Hussey's ridiculous accusations and her vindictive mother trying to split them up. If she could shout his name from the rooftops of the highest building on earth, Cheria would to show people she didn't care they shared the same blood. She loved this man with every fiber of her being and would fight for him until she died…maybe even in the afterlife too.

"Right there, oh JON!"

Her screaming his name, losing her inhibition and knowing people could hear it, Jon had never been more turned on in his life. "That's it, Cher," He tossed his head back, curly hair damp from sweat and knew by the tightening of both his balls and her pussy clamping around him that this bout was near an end. "Cum for me." Jon ordered, wanting to feel her drenching him before he returned the favor, his breath nearly taken when her walls fastened around him tighter. "That's it, darlin'; all over me!"

His command for her to cum and Jon hitting her sweet spot with every sharp thrust was too much for Cheria to take. She came hard, saturating him to the point where some of her essence slid down his balls. Jon didn't stop thrusting, riding out her first climax and barely triggered a second before exploding inside of her, their juicy lovemaking, fucking, whatever one wanted to call it pure music to their ears. Cheria laughed breathlessly once Jon grew limp inside of her, not moving from her position and felt him slide out of her body, kissing him passionately again.

"I love you."

Hoping with all her heart he believed her because there wasn't another man on the planet Cheria wanted or needed in her life. Except maybe Uncle Roy. Dinner was the last thing on her mind, just wanting to stay in the bedroom locked away from the world with Jon for the rest of their days. That wasn't realistic or logical though.

"I love you too, Cheria." He whispered back, bracing his weight on his forearms, not about to crush her. Jon smiled, both cooling down after that lusty session.

"Thank GOD..."

They had been loud and Monique wasn't sure if she should be disgusted, jealous, turned on or all three. Jon had to bury his face in Cheria's neck, trying not to laugh, his entire body shaking with the effort. That'd teach their friends to interrupt their alone time again.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"Again?" Cheria gaped, feeling her frustration building with this situation. "Why this time?"

It was the second time the court hearing regarding Curtis Hussey's ridiculous accusations was postponed and it didn't make sense. Was Curtis making this happen to stretch out the torture for her? Cheria wasn't happy. Jon looked resigned and angry at the same time, not that Cheria blamed him. The worst part was Curtis's father had come in for another oil change, claiming the shop didn't do it correctly. She already knew Jon was tempted to permanently screw the vehicle up, but that would only cause him further aggravation and problems. The fact that a grown man had come in, months after Jon fixed his vehicle, and claimed that an oil change had been done wrong... Jon had been tempted to put bleach in that jackass's gas tank on principal. How did an oil change get done wrong? It just didn't add up. None of this was adding up and Jon knew the stress of the situation was taking its toll on Cheria. Hell, it was taking its toll on him. He just wanted to get this over and done with, knowing Curtis Hussey didn't have a leg to stand on. Everything that little troll had said was absolute malarkey.

"Because the judge had to recuse himself. I'm guessing he had a conflict of interest or was caught doing something he shouldn't have."

"Great." Cheria muttered, trying to eat the sandwich in her hand, but her appetite was gone.

Not only did they have Curtis Hussey breathing down their necks and his father, but Martha hadn't given up either. Whenever Cheria and Jon were alone, she showed up where Jon was and tried convincing him to take her back. They were never together; he'd been between 12 and 13 years old when she raped him and Martha denied it not being consensual. Jon had threatened to hit her a few times and all Martha did was purr at him, stating how much she enjoyed his anger. She wanted to be struck by him. It was an obvious trap. Surprisingly, Jon didn't play in her hands and simply told Martha repeatedly to leave him alone, that he wasn't interested. She wasn't listening; Cheria was close to lashing out and sending her mother to the hospital if Martha didn't knock her antics off.

Beating Martha's head in... That was rapidly becoming a wet dream for Jon and the only thing holding him back was this eventual case in court with Curtis Hussey. Also the fact he didn't want Cheria to see him lose his temper and get violent. It was rare when it happened and he was a completely different person. That was not a person he wanted his Cher to ever meet. Sighing, he took the sandwich she was pretending to eat from her and set it down, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"We'll get through this, Cher. I promise."

For the sake of his sanity, Cheria cracked a small smile up at him and leaned her head against his chest, savoring this moment with him. It was the little moments that meant most to her. Though sex in the shop and spontaneous places she also thoroughly enjoyed. Uncle Roy had tried asking his friends in the judicial system what was happening, but they were tight-lipped and hadn't told him a thing.

"I wish they would stop pushing the damn hearing back. It makes me nervous." Looking down when her phone buzzed against her side, Cheria pulled it up and saw it was a call from Aunt Betty. "Hello?"

"C-Cheria sweet pea, where are you?" Betty's voice was shaky, trying her best to remain calm.

"I'm at the shop, why? What's wrong, Auntie?" She looked at Jon worriedly and stood up to walk back into the office with him following.

"Nothing." She blatantly lied, swallowing hard. "I need you to come over right now. Is that possible?"

"S-Sure, but…"

"Great, see you then!"

Pulling the phone away from her ear, Cheria could only stare at it and then up at Jon, not remembering Aunt Betty ever hanging up on her without a proper goodbye. "Something's wrong with Aunt Betty…" Brushing past him, she grabbed her keys and purse from the desk, trying to stay calm. "I have to go see what's going on."

Cheria wasn't doing a very good job at remaining calm and Jon stopped her, albeit gently, from walking out that door frowning. "Cher, did she say what was wrong?" He asked in a soft soothing voice. His frown deepened at the sight of his girlfriend's shaking head. "Do you want me to come with you? Joe can manage the shop on his own."

It wouldn't be the first time. Since both men were in actual relationships and no longer playing the field, they had been discussing the idea of bringing a few more part-time grease monkeys in. Maybe another part-time secretary to give them the odd day off or something, in case either couple wanted to do an activity or go somewhere. Another good friend of Jon's, Sami Johnston, was interested in working for the company and he knew his way around vehicles pretty well. Bikes were the only weakness he really had, but with time and patience, Sami could be taught.

"No, I'm sure everything is fine." Cheria took a deep breath, knowing blowing this out of proportion without knowing the reason for her Aunt's request to come to the house wouldn't be wise. "Just stay here and keep working." She pecked his mouth softly, cupping his face in her soft hand. "I'll text you when I leave or if I need you to come over, alright?" If she didn't have to pull Jon into the craziness of her family, Cheria would do everything in her power to avoid doing it.

"All right, darlin'." Very reluctantly, Jon released his hold on her and watched Cheria walk out the door of the shop toward her car to leave. Now his curiosity was up and the way Cheria had responded to the call just had him... worried. He couldn't help feeling cagey as he headed back out to the garage, sighing.

"Did Cheria just take off?"

"Something came up with Betty, I guess..."

* * *

10 minutes later, Cheria pulled into her Aunt and Uncle's driveway and cut the ignition before rushing to the door, not bothering to knock. She still had the key in case her relationship with Jon went south. They said she was always welcome to come back. Throwing open the door, Cheria hurried into the living room and stopped short at the sight of Aunt Betty sitting in her rocking chair, tears sliding down her face. Cheria couldn't remember ever seeing her Aunt cry, her heart breaking at the sight and walked over to her, not realizing someone else was in the room.

"Auntie, what's wrong?"

Betty had tried to control her emotions, but the moment she heard Cheria's vehicle pull up and the front door open, the waterworks started up all over again. "Oh Cheri…" She whispered, looking down at her quivering hands unable to meet her niece's emerald eyes. "I-I'm so sorry, dear…"

"W-What are you talking about? What happened? Talk to me." She urged, squatting to hold the older woman's hands and blinked when Betty pulled away from her. "Aunt Betty?"

"You better introduce yourself now." Betty no longer spoke to Cheria, lowering her voice a little while trying to stop crying.

"What are you-?"

"Hello Cheria."

Hearing an unfamiliar voice behind her, Cheria turned around and came face to face with another woman, confusion registering in her emerald eyes. "Who are you?"

"Your sister."

Even though she was having her own emotionally charged moment, Betty had enough sense to stand up and catch Cheria when her legs began trembling violently, a sure sign she was about to collapse. There was obviously more than just 'your sister' coming, but it wasn't her place to explain. Betty still had such a hard time wrapping her head around it. Guiding Cheria down into her rocking chair before moving to stand behind it, Betty reached down to squeeze Cheria's shoulder, offering her support.

"Here..."

The younger stranger took in Cheria, eyes lingering over her face, taking in contours that were familiar and smiled slightly. She could see they shared features. "I started that wrong, I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself. I'm Charlotte, and we're sisters."

Sisters? How the hell could they be sisters? Who was this woman and what game was she trying to play? Maybe Charlotte was one of Martha's long lost one night stand children she'd dumped off on someone else and never returned for. That was mean to think, but Cheria wasn't in a delightful polite mood at the moment.

"What's going on, Aunt Betty?" Cheria asked quietly, clasping her hands tightly in front of her while her Aunt continued rubbing her shoulders.

"Actually, she's not…" Charlotte had no idea how to start off this story; spending a few hours with Betty Ferguson explaining who she was and why she was here was incredibly draining.

"She's not what?"

"Your – um – Aunt…not biologically, anyway."

That was the reason Betty had been in tears. "I'm her Aunt in every way that matters." She said empathetically, defending that statement from the strange woman. As far as she was concerned, she was practically Cheria's mother since she raised her from infancy.

"Ma'am, I meant absolutely no disrespect."

Charlotte knew she wasn't doing a very good job with explaining this and sighed, reaching for the tote bag she had brought along. She pulled out a small photo album that had been made into a type of scrapbook. It contained newspaper clippings, a few pictures and what Charlotte had added recently. Pictures of her mother, their mother, and everything else she had been able to lay her hands on during this little quest.

"Martha is not your mother, Cheria." Charlotte held out the little book.

"What?!" Cheria snatched the book away from Charlotte and read the first page, which was a newspaper clipping. "W-What do you mean? W-What is this?"

"Cheria, calm down and listen, dear. She's telling the truth." Betty urged, knowing as painful as this was for her and Roy to accept, it would be a huge weight lifted from Cheria's shoulders once she knew the truth.

"18 years ago, my mother, Diane, gave birth to her second child – a baby girl. I always thought I was her only child and never knew about this until…recently." It was a confession from Diane on her deathbed, actually. "The newspaper clipping in front of you is…about you, Cheria. You were taken from our mother when you were a newborn, only days old. Mom searched high and low for you, but nobody could find you, not even private investigators. It broke her heart and, at the time, my father had full and sole custody of me, so I was living in West Virginia and had no idea about you. When she got pregnant with her third child, she left Cincinnati, where we're originally from and moved to Montana to start her life over and make sure another baby couldn't be taken away from her. However, she lost the baby due to stress and managed to finally win against my father, so I went to Montana to live with her. I never knew about you or the pregnancy because my father kept me away from Mom. You were stolen by Martha Singleton and she falsified your birth certificate. Your real one, Mom had all these years and…she found out from one of Martha's best friends the secret. It was the only lead I had to come to Tampa and you're 1 of 2 Cheria's in town. The moment I started talking to Betty, I knew I came to the right place, especially when she revealed her sister's name was Martha."

"O-Oh my god…"

Betty retrieved the box of tissues from the side table near the couch, plucking out a few and kneeled down to look into Cheria's face. "Cheria, I swear to you, we did not know any of this." She hated that she actually shared blood with Martha. "We honestly thought you were Martha's when we took you away from her. If we had known the truth..."

If they had known the truth, things would have turned out differently, but Betty would never say she regretted how everything had wound up. She loved Cheria as if she were her own and always would. All Cheria could do was stare down at the newspaper clipping, rereading it over and over again along with her actual birth certificate. Cheria Stone. Her last name had been Stone when she was born, not Singleton. 18 years she'd been with the wrong mother, the wrong family, and it was no wonder she never felt fully wanted or accepted by Martha. Betty and Roy had been wonderful to her and she believed they didn't know about her kidnapping. She opened and closed her mouth several times, trying to find the words to say, but none surfaced. Cheria hopped up from the rocking chair, keeping the book in her hand and pulled her keys out.

Suddenly, she wanted to be in the arms of Jon because, if this was true, if she truly wasn't Martha's biological child, then that meant… "I have to go. I have to go now."

"Cheria, you can't leave right now…"

"Yes, yes I can. I-I need to wrap my mind around this and I need time to…let this sink in. I'm sorry, I'll call soon." Cheria was out the door and in her car speeding away before Betty or Charlotte could stop her, heading straight for the shop.

Charlotte sat back, frowning and wiped the heel of her hand against her eyes, blinking away potential tears. "I know I did that awkwardly, but that was not exactly how I expected things to go down..." She had been excited and nervous about meeting her previously unknown sister. Charlotte hadn't even thought about how Cheria would feel or how it would impact the woman's life. "Maybe I made a mistake."

Betty took her place back in her rocking chair, blotting her own eyes. "No, you didn't. Just give her time."

* * *

Squealing into the parking space at the shop, Cheria cut the ignition and jumped out, rushing to the entrance as fast as she could. Then she stopped before entering the building, having a chance to really think things through and what she found out. No, work wasn't the time or place to tell Jon this news. Instead, Cheria decided to wait until Jon was home later that night from the shop. She would cook him a nice dinner, slip into something sexy and then reveal the fact they were indeed not blood. Charlotte had her eyes and nose for sure, the fiery red hair being the only difference between them. The moment she met Charlotte, as awkward as it was, Cheria felt a connection with the woman. Even Aunt Betty was convinced Charlotte's story was true. Why else would she come all this way from Montana with Cheria's actual birth certificate and the newspaper article regarding a newborn kidnapping? Texting Jon, Cheria told him she was heading home for the rest of the day and she'd see him that night.

"Everything okay with your woman?" Joe asked, watching Jon stare at his cell phone long after sending off a reply text, apparently expecting another back.

"Yeah, I guess. She said she'd see me at home tonight." Jon waited a few more minutes before putting his cell away, guessing he wouldn't be hearing back from her. He wanted to know what had been the deal with Betty, tempted to call the older woman up for answers. "That was weird."

"Women are weird." Joe shook his head, ducking back under the hood of a gorgeous corvette and relished the fact he got to tinker with the car version of porn. "Very, very weird."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"Cheria, this is your Aunt Betty for the 5th time calling. Please call me back so I know you're alright. Charlotte wasn't done talking with you and I think you two need to talk. Don't push her away because of Martha, dear. Love you."

Listening to the message a second time, Cheria heaved a sigh, not ready to face the truth of everything yet. It was going on 7 PM and dinner was just about done. She'd been online looking up recipes on how to make lobster, deciding tonight was a celebration of sorts. Granted, her heart broke at the fact she never knew her biological family, but…her and Jon weren't related. They were not father and daughter, no blood relation whatsoever. That's what she wanted to celebrate with him. Just as she took the lobster out of the oven, the front door opened and the smell of Jon instantly infiltrated her nose. Cheria already had her new lingerie on. It was a one piece green lace baby doll that barely covered her backside and came with matching panties. She hated thongs, refusing to wear them and Jon didn't seem to mind. Her silver hair was down, face devoid of makeup, not seeing a need to do anything more than wear the lingerie she bought specifically for his own eyes only.

"Welcome home, baby." Cheria murmured from the kitchen, setting the lobster tails on the stove and knew she'd have to check the steaks in a few so they didn't burn.

"Hey, Cher." Jon greeted, shucking his boots at the door and stepped around to look in the kitchen. "Smells good in... Jesus Christ..."

His pale blue eyes went a few shades darker than usual as he took in the delicious sight of her pert backside in his line of vision. It smelled divine and his mouth was watering, but not for the scrumptious food. Jon took a step towards her, then groaned, looking down at himself.

"That's not fair, Cher." He sighed, eyeballing his scruffy greasy self, needing a shower badly. "Evil tease..."

"Do you like?" She asked, walking towards him and tilted her head when Jon stepped back. Then Cheria quickly cottoned onto why he didn't want to touch her and shook her head, chuckling softly. "Go shower and then we're eating. Steak and lobster tails are on the menu tonight. Hurry." Smacking his pant covered backside on her way out to the patio, Cheria squealed out when Jon suddenly stopped her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "What are you doing? I have to go get the steaks before they burn!"

Jon had removed his work shirt, wearing his beater beneath and he probably didn't smell all that pleasant, but kissed her pulse point, careful not to press against her. Not about to ruin that delicious looking lingerie with his nasty clothes. There was no promise Jon wouldn't tear it off of her later.

"All right, darlin', all right I'm going. But first... you need to put something on. You're not showing off what's mine to any creepers who may be lurking."

Jon nipped at her ear, letting her go and turned her right back into the living room, flashing her a heart stopping grin before heading to grab his shower. A quick shower. Obviously, she didn't have a bad day and he wanted to celebrate with her, whatever it was they were celebrating. Pulling her robe on from the bedroom, Cheria couldn't help giggling at Jon's overprotectiveness of her, enjoying it immensely. She slipped outside to grab the steaks off the grill and set them on the table – the new not christened table – though she hoped that changed tonight. By the time Jon finished showering, the table was set with food scattered all over it of different desserts, steak and lobster. Cheesecake was her favorite and she knew Jon loved it too.

"Sit down, relax and I'll make you a plate." Cheria ordered softly as soon as the bathroom door opened, pulling the plates out of the cabinet. "You like lobster, right?"

"Uh, I don't know, never had it?"

Jon slid his fingers through his slightly damp curls, having mostly toweled it dry. He hadn't bothered putting on day clothes, just opted for a pair of black pajama bottoms that hung low on his hips. Smirking at Cheria's pause at the sight of him, Jon loved that she appreciated his body just as much as he did hers.

"All right Cher, my eyes are up here." He teased, dropping down at the table and leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. "So... what's the occasion? Betty okay?"

"Let's eat first. I know you have to be starving and then I'll tell you what happened today. Come on, we're eating in the living room where we can relax."

She had to invest in some seat covers or cushions because the hard wooden chairs were hell on her backside. Taking his hand, along with each of their plates, Cheria lead him over to the couch and sat down, setting the plates on the coffee table. Then, she stood to grab the hot butter to dip the lobster meat in and finally sat down beside Jon, both of them cracking open the lobster tails.

"Let me know how it is. My first time making it and all…"

"It smells great, darlin'."

Considering Jon had never had lobster before, he didn't think he was really in any position to determine if it was good or not. He hoped he wasn't one of those people who had seafood allergies, trying to remember the last time he had eaten anything seafood wise at all, other than a can of tuna. Eyeballing the meat before looking to see what she was doing, Jon imitated her and then brought the fork to his lips. He stared at the lobster meat for a moment before taking the plunge and popped it in his mouth. They ate in companionable silence, each in their own deep thoughts, especially Cheria. There were so many questions and not enough answers. Every part of Cheria wanted to believe in her heart what Charlotte said was true. She had the book on the coffee table, though Jon hadn't noticed it yet. It made her wonder if she should have solid proof before telling Jon what Charlotte discovered and came all the way to Tampa to tell her. Montana wasn't exactly a hop, skip and jump to Florida, nearly clear across the country. A few more minutes and Cheria would tell him, if she could find the courage.

"How was it?" Cheria asked, eyeing Jon when he took his last bite of lobster before carrying both of their plates to the kitchen.

"Well," Jon considered it, getting up to follow her and took the plates from Cheria in order to rinse them off in the sink. Figuring since she had made the meal, the very least he could do was clean-up and put things away for her. "Everything was delicious, Cher, even the lobster. Though in 20 minutes, if my lips start swelling, I'm allergic." He teased, stopping her from touching anything else and pulled her against him, looking down at her in her gorgeous lingerie. "So, what's the occasion?"

"Kiss me first." She sighed the moment his mouth met hers, sliding her hands up his strong muscular arms to wrap around his neck and gasped when her backside planted on the counter near the sink. "In order to tell you, I have to show you. So carry me to the living room."

Jon lifted her to where her legs wrapped around his waist and carted back to the couch they ate dinner together, Cheria straddling his lap. She tried to move and Jon stopped her, gripping her hips gently but firmly so she couldn't get away from him. It was a smart tactic on his part. Jon was contemplating the repercussions of turning her over on his knee and paddling her ass for keeping him in suspense. He had spent all afternoon worrying after Cheria had gone running out of the garage.

"It's on the coffee table - what I have to show you. So you have to let me go long enough to grab it."

Frowning slightly, he let go of her enough to give her room to twist around and grab the book thing off the table. Given that it looked unimportant, Jon wasn't surprised he hadn't noticed it. He perceived a lot of strange things were popping up lately around the apartment ever since she moved in with him and didn't think anything of the old looking book.

"What's this, Cher?"

"The reason Aunt Betty demanded me to come over earlier today." Cheria sat back a little on his lap to hold the book in front of her and closed her eyes, relishing the moment as much as she could. Then, she opened it, not wanting to keep Jon in suspense any longer. "This is the answer to all the problems we've been searching for. I don't know how to explain it, but…First read this article and then look at what's next to it in the slip." Inside held the only memories of Diane Stone's firstborn child – Cheria. "When you're done reading, I'll explain everything and what I found out today."

Jon took the book from her and began reading the article, frowning. It was old as hell and from his old neighborhood. It took him a few minutes to realize why the names he read were so familiar, though it didn't immediately click. His pale blues then moved to the slip and widened, his face draining of color. He looked from the book, to Cheria, and back to the book again, beginning to thumb through it.

"Cheria," He paused, voice coming out raspier than normal. "Explain. Now."

Taking the book from him, Cheria set it beside them on the couch and placed her hands on his shoulders, feeling how tense he was. "Martha lied about everything, Jon." She didn't know if it was the shock finally wearing off from what Charlotte told and showed her, but Cheria began crying, tears slipping down her cheeks. "That article about the kidnapped baby…is me. I was stolen in Cincinnati by Martha and she ran away to Florida to dump me with her…sister and brother-in-law. The people I've loved my whole life, who took care of me, who I called Aunt and Uncle all this time. And they're not my…biological family. Do you know what this means?"

Of course he did, though at the same time, Jon loathed believing anything that even had a slight association with Martha. "In theory, it means we're not related." Jon used his thumb to brush away the tears from her cheeks, struggling to keep the hope down, just in case. "What about the DNA test, Cher?" He asked quietly, once she seemed calmer.

"Martha is the one who got the results, Jon, not us. I say we go down to the clinic and demand to see results for ourselves and get another test done." They blew off Betty's scheduled one she'd set up for them 2 hours away. "Blood this time. Uncle Roy was right…" Cheria didn't want to cry tonight because this had been the glimmer of hope they longed for ever since finding out they shared the same blood. "She could've had them falsified and, if that's the case, we can press charges against her and she'll go to jail. She'll be out of our lives forever. And before you ask, yes I'm getting a blood test done with Charlotte, just to be sure we are really sisters. But all of this evidence…there's no way these people are lying to us, especially since Charlotte's mother is dead. She told Charlotte everything on her deathbed…"

Jon was quiet for a moment longer, finally nodding his head. "All right, we'll do that. Cheria... I... if this woman was your mother, I knew her. I mean, as much as a kid can know his babysitter." He laughed uneasily, reaching around to rub the back of his neck. "She was good people. If - if this is all true, and she's really your Mom, then you come from people who'd of made you proud."

With everything going on the way it had been, Cheria was under stress and this was a ray of sunshine, something they could cling too. If it were true... his heart was beating furiously in his chest. So many things would be solved between them. There was a very big possibility Cheria wasn't his daughter and that they hadn't been committing a sin by being together due to incest.

"Really? You knew my biological mother?"

There was no point denying it, even if she didn't want to get a blood test done with Charlotte. That undeniable connection the moment she locked eyes with Charlotte couldn't be ignored. It made her feel better knowing Charlotte was good people and she didn't come from a whore mother or drug addicts.

"Charlotte told me something else that I just remembered too. She said she found me through a source in Cincinnati. She said it was Martha's best friend, but she wouldn't tell me the name. Do you have any idea who it could've been?"

"I don't know. Martha used to run with my Mom and some other... women. Cheria, honestly most of the women I grew up around were whores." Jon didn't bother sugarcoating it. "Whores and drug users, but not your Mom. She was like... I don't know - she was the coolest Mom in the neighborhood. Poor like the rest of us were, but she still walked around with her head high and never took to the streets. I was 13 when I left that hellhole. I lost touch with everyone there." He really hated pointing out the next fact, but it had to be done. "If all this is true, and we need some concrete solid evidence, we could try getting Martha to spill. Hell, she's probably facing prison time anyway." That idea made his day, pale blues lighting up maliciously.

"No, I don't want to involve her in any way." Cheria shook her head, immediately disregarding that idea and a lightbulb suddenly lit up in her mind. "You mentioned your Mom…" From what she could tell, Jon and his mother didn't speak, but maybe she was the one who divulged information to Charlotte. They had to find out the truth because, if this was all a hoax, Charlotte was facing jail time instead of Martha. "I know you'll hate this idea, but…why don't we take a trip to Cincinnati and try to find the answers? Just the two of us. Have Joe watch the shop for a weekend. You and I in a hotel room could be fun and a road trip even better."

"Why the fuck would I want to talk to that woman?" Jon blurted out before he could stop himself, catching Cheria by the waist when she flashed him a hurt look, not about to let her get up. "I'm sorry darlin', but... that bitch is just as bad as Martha. Just... ask Charlotte for a DNA test. If she really thinks she's your sister, she's not going to argue it. That would just be the easiest and quickest way of finding out."

The pain in Jon's eyes made Cheria back off instantly. If Jon didn't want to go with her to Cincinnati, she would go by herself. Her car would make it, hopefully, and if it didn't there was always a bus she could take back. Cheria never saw Cincinnati and didn't remember any of it from her childhood because she was a newborn when Martha kidnapped her. Not only did Cheria want to know if Jon's mother was the source that lead Charlotte to Tampa to find her, but she wanted to know if there was any information about her biological mother. He didn't understand that though and probably wouldn't, being a man and all.

"Alright Jon, I'm sorry."

Kissing him, Cheria wrapped her arms around his neck, already having a plan deciding she would take Monique with her for the road trip. If she had explained it, Jon probably would have understood. He still wouldn't be onboard with going to Cincinnati and looking up his mother, but would have understood. Jon didn't have more than a handful of good memories of that place, of his childhood, and his last few memories were awful. As it was, Cheria didn't explain and, him being lost in his own misery, missed the sudden change in Cheria as she went from defeated to... something else.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

"I'm sorry; run that by me one more time."

Cheria had spent the last hour explaining everything to Monique regarding her biological sister coming to town and telling her about their mother's deathbed wish in tracking her down. It was a long story and she'd brought the book for Monique to look through. How this came about was a little suspicious to Monique and almost too good to be true for her and Jon. Monique kept her thoughts to herself, reading over the article about the kidnapped baby girl before slowly looking up to meet her best friend's hope filled eyes.

"I called the courthouse in Cincinnati and that birth certificate is valid. The newspaper article wasn't a sham either. It's in the Cincinnati archives online. Martha wasn't very smart when she tried covering everything up. Charlotte said the source is in Cincinnati and it was a close friend of Martha's. I want to track down Jon's mother and question her about my possible biological mother. Figured you could use some time away from Joe to figure out what to do about your current problem."

That was the honest truth for sure. Monique still had no idea what to do about the baby situation and if she should abort it or keep it. Getting out of Tampa, even if only for a short time, was definitely a plus right now. She also had her parents breathing down her neck about Joe and knew it was only a matter of time before they found out about the pregnancy.

"Cheri... this is... some heavy stuff." Monique set aside the book, sighing. "I'm guessing this is something we're not telling the guys, huh?" She managed a smile when Cheria shook her head in response. "So what are we going to tell them?"

"Joe doesn't know you got kicked out by your folks yet. I can just tell Jon I'm at your house having some girl time and need a few days off from the shop. He won't think anything of it. Aunt Betty already agreed to cover for us and we're not telling Uncle Roy anything. Charlotte doesn't know anything either and is staying with them because Aunt Betty feels guilty making her stay in a hotel. We'll only be gone for a couple days and I'll use some of my college money to fund the trip. What do you say?" Cheria already knew Monique was on board since she was avoiding Joe like the plague until she could figure out if she was keeping the baby.

"That's fine; I can have my Aunt Scarlett cover for me if anyone comes hunting me up." Monique said thoughtfully, knowing one way or another, after this trip, she would have to decide on what to do because she couldn't keep hiding it.

If Monique kept the baby and, by keeping it, she meant for either herself or putting it up for adoption, she would have to start seeing a doctor. If she opted for abortion... no, she still couldn't see herself getting an abortion. Monique would have to eventually just suck it up and talk to Joe, but this reprieve from Tampa with Cheria would not be passed up.

"I have some money stashed. Who's going to cover for you at the shop? Jon won't expect you to work Saturday, right?"

"No, he tries to give me Saturdays off. I'll simply tell him we're going to check out local colleges not far away from Tampa. He'll buy it." Cheria said confidently, thankful she didn't have to make this road trip alone and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm nervous about meeting Jon's mother, but…I have to do this. Martha won't get away with everything she's put me and Jon through. And Charlotte agreed to the blood test when we get back. We're going to try getting the results rushed and Jon and I are going to the clinic today after he gets off work to check the results from the hair DNA ourselves. We don't trust Martha and neither does my Aunt and Uncle."

"I wouldn't trust that evil bitch either, but... to not be related to her or Jon..." Monique automatically knew just how important that was to Cheria and smiled slightly. "And not to mention, if all this is true, you'll have a new family. Sisters..." That made her frown slightly, wondering just how this would turn out, a bit afraid of losing her best friend all of a sudden. "When are we doing this then?"

"Tomorrow. I'll tell Jon everything tonight and we'll leave in the morning. Early, so be ready."

Not being related to Jon was all Cheria could focus on because, if everything came back true with what Charlotte said, their problems were over. That didn't include Curtis Hussey, but one problem at a time. Martha was honestly the bigger threat of the two.

"I just hope all of this is true. I hope I'm not really that monster's daughter and my biological mother is - was a good person like Jon said."

"I can believe it. There's no way you could ever be related to Martha. You don't look anything like her. Or Jon." Of course that didn't necessarily mean anything, but Monique thought Cheria would have at least resembled one of her parents in some way. "Tell me about Charlotte, okay? What was she like? Did you like her? Does she look like you?" She was praying this was all true; praying that her friend finally received some good luck in her life because, with all the bombs that had been dropped on her lately, Cheria deserved it.

"She looks like me." Cheria admitted openly, lowering her eyes and chewed her bottom lip, thinking back to what her could-be sister looked like. "Same eyes and nose. Different hair color, though I dye mine. Hers is a fiery red and Diane's was the same color. So I know it's natural. I had blonde hair, but my biological father could've had it. We have the same eyes though for sure. I felt something when I first locked eyes with her, Moni. I can't explain it. I tried to with Jon and failed, so I doubt I'll be able to do any better with you. I just…I felt a connection with her and I believed every word she said. I know you think it's my hope overshadowing everything else and maybe it is, but…that's why I have to make this trip. I asked Jon to go and he shut me down the moment I mentioned his mother. He'll freak out if he discovers I went without him, but I have to do what's best for me right now. I love him, but this isn't just about us being together either. I can find out the truth about who I really am and who my possible biological mother was, especially if she was Jon's old babysitter."

"Hey, I get it. I understand there's a lot at stake with this visit." Monique reached over to take Cheria's hand in hers, squeezing reassuringly. "I may not be able to empathize, but I get why you want to know, Cheri."

She knew her family; they were currently disowning her, but she knew them. Monique could only imagine how much Cheria wanted to know the truth, to know about her real mother and get to know her actual family. She imagined Cheria had felt like she was missing a major chunk of something inside of her all these years, especially growing up believing that that evil devil bitch Martha was her mother.

"Jon's a big boy, he'll get over it if he finds out. You're right, you have to do what's best for you right now."

Hugging Monique tightly, Cheria was thankful and blessed to have such a great friend like her in her life. "Thank you, sissy. And I promise I owe you big time for this."

* * *

Somehow, someway Jon believed every word Cheria told him and they'd made love for hours the night prior to her leaving. Tossing her bag in the trunk of the truck, Cheria turned around and felt Jon's arms wrap around her, kissing him once more. He insisted on her taking his truck and he would take her car to the shop, unable to leave it for a weekend. Mentioning college road trip had been the perfect lie, after Cheria promised repeatedly it was for Monique instead of her. In return, Cheria made Jon promise not to say anything to Joe. Monique wasn't sure if she was going to it or not, just wanting to check it out. Of course, college was code word for baby, but Jon didn't know that.

"Thank you for letting me borrow your ride. I promise to take good care of it." She murmured, cupping his face in her hands and again their mouths met. "You gonna miss me?"

"Probably not. I'll be too busy with football, the titty bar... Ouch!" Jon growled when he got slapped, smirking down at her while rubbing his ear and made a mental note not to say that joke again. "Vicious little thing, aren't you?" He jerked her against him at the sound of her adorable huff. "Of course I'll miss you, Cher. I always miss you." It was pathetic actually. Somewhere along the line, Jon had stopped functioning as a solo entity and given up his man card. "Call me when you get in, all right?" Worry filled his pale blue eyes. "And for fuck's sake, don't stop in any shady areas."

"I won't." If only he knew she was headed into a very dark and shady place in order to find answers regarding her possible biological family. "And I'll call you every couple hours. We can skype if you want, though I know you're not brilliant with a computer." Cheria held his chin for a moment to gaze deeper into those pale blues, trying to memorize everything about Jon's face. "I love you and, if you go to a titty bar, you can look only. No touching." She'd give him a little leeway to have some fun, knowing Joe could use some in his life right now while Monique was MIA. "Remember, don't tell Joe where we're going either. Monique will tell him when and if she's ready."

"I'm not saying shit, but the fact that you're asking me to violate the 'bro's before hoes' rule..."

Jon caught her hand before she could slap him again, laughing and picked her up, spinning in a circle. Ever since learning that the odds of them not being father and daughter had gone up exponentially, his mood had improved. Damn that hope festering!

"I'm picking on you. I'll keep him busy. He's moping though, you should see if she won't... I don't know… give him the time of day and explain her deal. I've never seen the big man like this. It's... pathetic."

"I will talk to her during the road trip, I promise. She doesn't want to break things off with him or anything like that. So make sure you drive that point home. She's just having a…rough time right now. But I'm sure it'll pass." Cheria's optimism ignited as well along with her love for Jon. "When I get back, we'll prepare for the court hearing and bring down Martha. Just hold down the fort and, if she comes around you, send her packing by any means necessary." Pecking him one more time on the lips, Cheria jumped up behind the wheel and shut the door, looking down at him. "See you in a few days."

"You'd better." He waved at her, watching as she finally pulled away and stood there watching until the truck was out of sight. "Well... fuck me."

Jon raked a hand through his hair and sighed, glad she was looking around for colleges, proud she wanted to further her education and all, but why did Cheria have to look at places that were so far away from their home? From his business? It wasn't like he could just pack up and relocate. However, Cheria had given him permission to send Martha packing by any means necessary. Jon didn't want Martha around, but if she did show her face, he would greet her with a tire iron to her face.

* * *

Cincinnati, Ohio was a dreary place, to put it mildly. Buildings yes, businesses yes, but that was only on the safe side of town. She didn't want to go to the safe side, having gotten the information of Jon's mother's whereabouts from Aunt Betty. They had brought Jon from Cincinnati to Tampa, Florida after all. Of course they knew where Jon's mother lived.

"Be careful and prepare yourself for anything, Cheria."

"I will Auntie, I promise. Thank you for being on my side with this."

"Always."

Slamming the truck in park, Cheria looked over at a sleeping Monique leaning her head against the window and smiled, deciding maybe it would be better to leave her out here while she dealt with Jon's mother. She needed rest from the pregnancy and everything else going on in her life, especially with her parents. Stepping out of the truck making sure to lock it tight, Cheria looked up at the apartment building and ascended the stairs, hoping she didn't take this trip for nothing.

Claire Good was hungover as hell and when she finally answered her door, after some idiot wouldn't stop knocking, she wasn't amused to find a little teenage tramp standing on the other side. "Honey," She slurred, her voice raspy from decades of smoking, drinking and everything else. "I don't teach underage girls how to turn tricks. Come back after you try a career at Mickey D's."

"Wait, Claire." It was the first time Cheria said Jon's mother's name aloud and the raspy voiced woman halted, beady pale blues locked on hers. They reminded Cheria so much of Jon. "Claire Good?"

"Who are you?" Claire asked suspiciously, blowing smoke right in the young girl's face and tried pinpointing her, not having any luck since her memory wasn't the best.

"My name is Cheria Ferguson. I have a couple questions for you regarding a woman named Charlotte Stone. Her mother's name was Diane Stone and…she used to watch your son, Jonathan Good. May I please come in for a few minutes to talk to you?"

Claire nearly dropped her cigarette. This... little woman... girl... had mentioned Jonathan, her son. She hadn't thought about him in years. A lot when he had been taken away, but time and whiskey dulled everything, even memories of little boys with insane curly dark auburn hair and eyes the same shade as hers.

"What the hell do you know about Diane Stone and my... my boy?" She demanded in a stammer, wondering why this little girl, this well-dressed educated kid, would be here.

"Please let me inside and I'll tell you." Cheria wouldn't back down from this woman, if she could even be called that, and stepped inside once Claire to let her pass through the door.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The apartment was filled with smoke, the scent of sex and booze permeating the air. It was truly disgusting and Cheria refused to have a seat when Claire offered one. "18 years ago, a baby girl was kidnapped by your then neighbor, Diane Stone. She used to watch over your son and, by the way, I know him. We're…together, I'm his girlfriend. You were good friends with Martha Singleton and she stole the baby from Diane and took the baby to Florida, right?"

She hoped Claire wouldn't remember the baby's name because that was the only advantage Cheria had right now. Claire had ignored everything this girl, Cheria, said. What kind of name was Cheria anyway? That was a stripper name. Claire did hear the part about being with Jonathan, though.

"Wait, you're dating Jonny?" She lit a fresh cigarette, completely ignoring the one that had gone out on her floor, after burning a hole in what could questionably be referred to as carpet. "Aren't you a little young for my Jonny?"

Claire hadn't seen her son in over 15 years or heard a word from those people who had taken him. Nothing. It was as if she hadn't birthed the little bastard. All he did was cause her problems from the moment she found out she was pregnant by her then pimp. Luckily, Jon never knew of his existence because the prick had been gunned down before Jon was born. All Claire wanted was a phone call from him, just one, telling her he was still alive. Up until this moment, she thought he was dead.

"I don't know a Diane." She muttered, eyes shifting away from the silver haired girl.

"Claire, please don't insult my intelligence. You know who Diane Stone is because you were shocked when I mentioned her name. And you know who Charlotte Stone is too because she came to see you recently, asking about her long lost sister, Cheria. Only, my family name isn't Singleton, is it? It's Stone, right? My biological mother's name is Diane, not Martha, who was your best friend." Cheria gritted her teeth at the audacity of this woman, clenching her fists tightly at her sides and tears stung her eyes, refusing to let them fall just yet. "Please, I came a long way to find out the truth and I deserve it after 18 years of thinking I was the daughter of a vindictive cunt like Martha Singleton."

"Kid, what in the hell makes you think you deserve anything? Just be fucking grateful those damn do-gooders took you out of this dive and mind your own business. Digging that shit up isn't going to solve anything." Claire snapped, glaring hatefully at Cheria, taking her in. She did look like Diane or how Diane had looked before she had gone to hell in a handbasket after her baby had been kidnapped. "Nobody asked you to come a long way for anything, you self-entitled brat."

"And nobody asked your son to be raped by your best friend, but he was." Cheria remarked coldly, watching Claire's face turn pale white and folded her arms in front of her chest. "Now, if you want to name call, that's on you, but I came here for answers and I'm not leaving without them. So you tell me right now: Did Martha kidnap a baby 18 years ago? And was it Diane Stone's?"

Claire knew the only way to get this bitch out of her apartment was to give her the answers she wanted. "Yes." She whispered, taken completely aback by what she said regarding her son. "You look like her."

"Like who?"

"Diane." Claire snorted, lighting up a fresh cigarette and took a swig of Vodka, needing to numb the pain somehow within her heart at the mention of her son. "My boy…he happy?"

"Why should I tell you anything about him?" Cheria decided to play the same game Claire did earlier, pursing her lips tightly. "You don't deserve to know how he's doing or if he's happy. You don't deserve anything. He didn't even want to come and see you with me because he wants nothing to do with you. How does that feel? Oh, and just so you know, my Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy Ferguson were the ones who took him away from you and gave him a better life."

"I know exactly who took him away. I was there when they came and just snatched him outta this apartment like they had every right. Jonny was a good boy, and I was doing right by him. What happened with Martha was a big mistake, should've never happened." Claire snarled, defending herself while clutching her bottle. "You got your answers, you little tramp. Now get the hell out of here. I should have never let you in. You're just as self-righteous as those people."

Walking over to where Claire sat, Cheria settled beside her with her phone in hand and held it in front of the woman's face. She saw the tears in Claire's eyes, so much regret and pain in them. "This is your son now."

It was her way of thanking Claire for revealing the truth about the kidnapping and Martha's involvement. So far, everything pointed to the fact she was the kidnapped baby girl in that article Charlotte showed her. And with that, she also was not blood related to Jon.

"I know you don't like me, but…thank you anyway. I may be self-righteous, but at least you can sleep tonight knowing your son is a successful owner of his own auto repair shop, graduated high school almost top of his class and has a great life." Standing, Cheria headed for the door wiping a few stray tears from her eyes.

Frowning, Claire got up, looking around the trashed living room frantically. "Wait, Cheria! You hold on one second, girl." She ordered, finally hobbling her old backside down the narrow hallway, disappearing into what was both her bedroom and occasional workplace when she brought home customers. When she came back out, she was carrying a small shoebox and shoved it into Cheria's arms. "You give that to Jonny. Maybe he'll remember it wasn't always bad times here."

Cheria cracked the smallest smile, holding the shoebox tightly against her chest. "Maybe one day we can come pay you a visit without a motive. Take care of yourself, Claire." Then she walked out and closed the door behind her, heading down the stairs toward Jon's truck.

Once behind the wheel, Monique woke up and crawled from the backseat to the front, noticing the shoebox set beside Cheria. "Hey sleepyhead, how are you feeling?" She asked, firing up the truck and pulled away from the curb.

"Fine, for it being the back of a truck. What happened?" Monique eyeballed the taped shoebox, raising a brow. "What's that?"

"Let's find a hotel outside of Cincinnati, shower and then I'll tell you everything."

Considering Monique had spent enough time laying in the backseat, wondering if they were out of their minds for coming to this ghetto as hell neighborhood, she wasn't sorry to see it disappear behind them. Once they were checked into a little motel that seemed to be reasonably safe and clean, she let Cheria have at the shower. Noting the way her friend seemed to be checking herself over to see if anything, like bugs, was crawling on her. Monique had seen the building and could only imagine the units inside.

"Was it really that bad up there?"

"You have no idea." Cheria took her shirt off and pants, having been naked in front of Monique quite a few times. They were best friends, after all and had countless sleepovers. "Come into the bathroom with me." Starting the shower sprays, Cheria looked in the mirror to make sure nothing was on her skin, taking a chance when she sat on the couch next to Claire. "There was trash everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE. The smoke was thick and the stench…I had to breathe in and out of my mouth, which wasn't easy. And Claire wasn't easy to talk to either. Actually, she was a downright bitch."

"Um, maybe we should just get rid of those clothes you wore? In case there were bedbugs or something..." Monique suggested, moving around to check Cheria's back and her hairline, frowning. "Or fleas, just... gross." After giving the clear, Cheria hopped into the shower and Monique moved to sit on the toilet, feeling rather pleased she hadn't been awake to go in. Her stomach was queasy enough these days without adding stuff like that to the mix. "What do you mean she was a downright bitch? She didn't tell you anything?" That would be bad and a waste of time, considering they had come all this way just to talk to the woman.

"At first, no. I thought she would boot me out the door. But I managed to pump the information out of her. I was a little mean about it, but I made it up to her by showing a picture of Jon from my phone. Then she told me to give him the shoebox because it'll remind him it wasn't always bad living with her." Cheria explained while letting the hot water wash away the day's events and any remnants from Claire's. "And she did confirm Charlotte coming to see her, sending her to Tampa and the fact Martha did kidnap a baby. So all signs point to everything Charlotte told me is true."

"So, we can go back to Tampa now or do you want to continue investigating?" Monique asked, wondering if Cheria wanted to look in the shoebox or just leave it alone and let Jon open it when, or even if, he was ready too. "I would so nail that Martha bitch with all this, Cheri. If we could only get Claire to testify, or hell, even had a tape recorder... or use your cell phone. There are apps you can download and they record conversations." There was no way Cheria could let Martha get away with this.

"Way ahead of you, sissy. Don't worry, I have a plan to get Martha out of our lives forever." Cheria rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and began lathering it up with conditioner. "Enough about that for now, how are you feeling? Have you figured out if you're keeping the baby and telling Joe or getting rid of it and not telling Joe or getting rid of it and telling Joe so he can be there?"

So many options lay in front of Monique and, by the time they got back to Tampa, she had to have her decision made. That was the deal with her coming on the road trip. Monique chewed on her thumbnail thoughtfully, eyes fastened on the tile floor.

"I'm feeling fine, just a bit... sick to my stomach." She wasn't sure if it was morning sickness or just general queasiness due to the decision she had to make. "I think, Cheri, I'm going to tell him and go from there." She disclosed finally. "I know it's my decision, but it's not just my baby. He has the right to know and... I'll just take it from there." Honestly, this was such a major decision; Monique didn't want to be the one making all the calls. She wanted the Samoan's input and prayed he was as good a man as everyone, herself included, assumed.

"I think that's a fabulous idea." Cheria pushed the shower curtain open and wrapped a towel around her body before hugging Monique tightly. "Joe is a good man just like Jon. That much I can promise you and he'll stand behind whatever decision you make." They walked out of the bathroom and Cheria slipped into fresh garments and pajamas, throwing her clothes she wore to Claire's in the trash. That was a smart idea from Monique. "How about some food? We can relax, get a good night's sleep and then hit the road early tomorrow to go back to our men. I miss Jon." Speaking of him, Cheria decided she would call him once Monique was asleep, if it wasn't too late.

"Yeah, we can do that after I get a shower. I'm feeling scuzzy just thinking about that place." She had watched Cheria throw away those clothes, knowing the bedbug suggestion had been a factual possibility. "Oh, Cheri," Monique's eyes fastened on that shoebox. "I know it's meant for Jon, but you might want to check inside of it for anything stupid. You know - roaches, crack pipes, just in case."

As tempted as Cheria was to open the shoebox, she didn't. It was heavily taped, so she doubted anything, not even a cockroach, could slide inside. They ate, watched a couple movies with ice cream and then finally fell asleep a little after midnight together. Cheria had set the alarm on her phone to get up at 8 AM because check-out time was at 10. Sure enough, the girls were up and prepared to go at 7 AM, ready for the long drive back to Tampa. They talked more in depth about the conversation Cheria had with Claire and she came clean about the plan she had for Martha. All she had to do was run it by Jon and hopefully the rest would fall into place.

"I'm more worried about Hussey and this damn court hearing coming up." Cheria admitted halfway through the road trip, stopping for the 5th time because of Monique's bladder issue. The baby was apparently to blame. "And I think we should cork you up until we get home."

"If I thought corking it up would work, I would've done it already." Monique said dryly, not overly amused with this. Apparently, from her Internet browsing using Google's Incognito - who knew it was more than porn? - the first and third trimester were great on the bladder. Sarcasm, all of it. "Actually, I'd probably swell like a balloon until it all came out my nose and ears. And Hussey doesn't have a leg to stand on, we all know it. There is absolutely no evidence that it was Jon who beat him up at all. There's no evidence of anything; the fact this case actually made it this far is stupid. Does Jon have a lawyer? Because his lawyer could demand to see whatever evidence they may have. There's no way it can go far without anything to back up that asshole's claims."

"Uncle Roy…" Cheria frowned deeply, the realization that Betty and Roy weren't really her blood relatives piercing her already bleeding heart. "He got Jon a lawyer, a good one too. But Curtis's Dad has a lot of money and money talks, you and I both know that. And unless I get that blood test done with Charlotte to prove once and for all Jon and I aren't related, it's basically Jon's word against the high school's quarterback. What did I ever see in that dick anyway?" She regretted few things in her life and dating Curtis was one of them. "I just hope we can get through this and he's not sent to jail because of me."


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

"Cheria, listen to me, Jon is not going to jail. Money can talk all it wants, but Hussey would have to buy off an entire jury, not just the judge. And with one judge already recusing himself, there's going to be talk about this case, if it ever even progresses to an actual trial. Jon hasn't even been seen for an opening hearing, has he?" When Cheria shook her head, Monique continued with a smirk on her lips. "Jon needs to start gathering up people who know him, who can give statements about his character. He's not a violent man." Unless Cheria was attacked and, as far as she was concerned, that didn't count.

Curtis Hussey had EARNED that beating.

"Come to think of it, you're right. He hasn't had an opening hearing. They keep saying it's going to happen, but…nothing has come of it." Monique made several valid points. If they truly wanted to try accusing Jon of the beating and sending him to jail, at the very least the opening trial would've happened by now.

"You know what I think? I think that son of a bitch doesn't have evidence to prove Jon did it or the fact you and Jon were together back then. I think he's running scared and his Daddy is bailing his ass out. Curtis is purposely baiting you, Cheri, just like he did at the grocery store. Because he's scared and he has no idea what else to do besides forcing you the truth out of you. And you didn't so far, which is good. You've kept your cool and it's frustrating him. His Daddy is probably demanding him to get some kind of proof or the entire 'case' will be tossed out."

"You'd make a damn good lawyer, Moni."

Monique smiled slightly. "Maybe. I watch a lot of crime shows." She joked, then the smile faded and she contemplated taking a sip from her bottle of vitamin water since her mouth felt like a dessert. Deciding against it, Cheria would kill her if they had to do another bathroom break stop in less than an hour after the last one. "Honestly, I think Curtis is hoping something will come up, or maybe he'll try to provoke Jon into something. But Jon should make sure to have his bases covered, just in case. Of course, if they keep postponing this, the judicial system will get pissed and throw it out. Daddy would not risk his reputation over Curtis being a douchebag, not on this scale."

"I already told Jon to maintain his temper around Curtis. The little asshole has come into the shop a few times since the grocery store incident to pick up his father's vehicle. Somehow, they keep 'finding' things wrong with it. Jon is getting pretty pissed and already plans on billing Curtis's father. And if he doesn't pay the bill, it'll go against his credit score and screw him over."

Her boyfriend could be vindictive when he wanted to be and she'd actually taught him that little business savvy when one of his longtime customers tried pulling a fast one on them. It was one of her first days at the shop and Cheria refused to let Jon's business get screwed because the man didn't feel the price was right, even though it was. She smiled at the memory, not able to wait to get home to Jon.

"Keep drinking, you need to keep the baby hydrated as well as yourself. We'll stop as many times as you need to."

Since she had been given permission, Monique opened the bottle and took a long swallow. She was always so thirsty lately and couldn't imagine what it would be like if she got food cravings. Monique had read some women suffered from something called pica, where they would want to eat things that were not food. Like dirt. Or paint shavings. She shuddered at the thought of having a craving for any of those.

"Jon needs to refuse service to Hussey. At this point, with there being a sort of active case against him, the fact that they keep coming in is them..." She trailed off, grinning faintly. "You log it when they come in, right? Each and every time? In the computer, where it is actually time stamped when you create invoices and stuff?" Cheria nodded and Monique began laughing. "How stupid can they be? Seriously? I got to pee again!" She was laughing that hard. "Even though there hasn't been a trial or hearing set, this is still in the court system and Curtis and his Daddy are coming in the shop of the man they're accusing of violence? Jon needs to take all this down to the courthouse and countersue them for harassment."

"Really? You think that's possible, even though Curtis's Dad is claiming they keep screwing up his car?" When Monique nodded, an evil simper stretched across Cheria's lips. "I think I know the perfect way to get rid of Curtis Hussey once and for all. Hopefully, Jon will go along with your plan to take all the records down to the courthouse. Once they see how many times Mr. Hussey has come into the shop demanding service, for free I might add, it'll be their turn to squirm. And I know Jon won't have an issue suing them, especially after what happened to me." Apart, Monique and Cheria were smart, but together they were diabolically brilliant. "Oh my god, I can't wait to get home!"

"Okay, me either, but bathroom first, Cheri. I have to pee!" Monique giggled, trying not to squirm in her seat and mockingly growled at Cheria reaching out to rub her stomach. That was a first and she smiled. "Aww, Aunt Cheri is already trying to rile up her little niece... I will hurt you, seriously." She watched as another sign for a rest stop rolled by. Monique could hold it for 20 more minutes, no problem, she hoped. "But back to Jon, it's like when someone gets a restraining order. Say you got one against me, but you kept coming around me anyway. You're basically violating your own restraining order. This is sort of like that. They're going after Jon for beating up Curtis, but instead of staying away from Jon like any reasonably sane person would, they're going out of their way to provoke him. We need to open up our own law firm, Cheri. We would be so awesome at this."

"Hell, you'd be the one taking all the cases and I'd be your sexy secretary with the too tight blouses and short skirts escorting people to your office." They both giggled harder and Cheria nearly swerved off the road, jolting both of them out of their giggling fit. "Oh my god, I'm going to kill us if we don't stop laughing!" It didn't faze them a bit, both starting to laugh again. "You need to open your own law firm once you graduate and become a lawyer, Moni. Do that and I'll be your partner or something, even though I know jack about the law. You'd have to teach me a thing or two. Or hell, maybe I can just deliver papers to the sorry bastards going against you in court." Pulling into a rest stop, Cheria watched Monique hightail it to the bathroom and shook her head, deciding to give Jon a quick call to let him know she'd be home sometime tonight.

"Where you at, darlin'?"

Jon wasn't sure if he had enjoyed having time away from her or not. It was nice, being able to be as gross as he wanted, but at the same time, he had missed crawling into bed and holding her. He was definitely over Joe's moody attitude, the man currently passed out on his couch after they had stayed up drinking and playing video games on the PS4 Joe brought over.

"And for fuck's sake, please tell me Monique is coming back to this idiot because I can't take another day of his... male PMS."

"Tell Joe to keep his panties on and chill out. Monique isn't breaking up with him or anything like that. She just…needed a little time to sort some shit out in her head and she's ready to talk to him when we get back. He better not stress her out though. She needs plenty of rest and relaxation, so if she doesn't want to have the talk tonight, he better respect her wishes." Or else Cheria would pop him in the nose and the back of his stubborn Samoan head. "Now then, miss me yet?" She asked cheekily, chuckling at Jon's growl in her ear and felt shivers course throughout her body. "I can't wait to see you tonight either, baby. I miss you so much."

Why the hell would Monique need rest and relaxation? Not like they had spent the weekend partying, checking out college could not be that tiring... and Jon frowned slightly. What if they had spent the weekend partying? Colleges had that stuff, right? Frat parties and whatnot? Cheria and Monique were very easy on the eyes; they'd be targeted for sure by horny men…he stopped that line of thought immediately.

"I miss you enough." Jon teased, looking around the living room. He would have to get Joe up so he could clean and prepare, deciding it was her turn to walk in on something sweet and romantic. "More than I should probably."

"That makes two of us then. We're a pathetic bunch, aren't we?" Cheria closed her eyes and listened to his voice, not wanting to hang up with him. The sooner Monique finished peeing for the millionth time – or so it seemed – the sooner they could get back on the road. "I will be home tonight, no matter what." She promised, glancing out the window when Monique came toward the truck and heaved a sigh. "Just relay the message to Joe and tell him to pick Monique up at our place." They reluctantly hung up with each other and a few minutes after that, the girls were on the road again headed back to Tampa to be with the love of their lives. "Joe is really worried about you and I think you need to tell him tonight, just so you know. He's been driving my man crazy and…having male PMS apparently."

"Men don't get PMS." Monique argued flatly, then got the joke and facepalmmed herself. "Sorry, had a blonde moment there. So, how crazy is crazy? Like, he's moody because he misses me or he's moody because he's just Joe?"

"Well, he's been staying at our place since our departure and playing a lot of PlayStation 4 with Jon. Drinking – no titty bars – just a lot of drinking and gaming. And he's been a complete bear at the shop. Jon almost knocked him out with a tire iron yesterday." Cheria cringed at the thought of that happening, wondering just how hard the Samoan's head was. "I told Jon to inform Joe he better be nice to you and let you tell him what's going on. No pressuring whatsoever. If he does pressure you, I will personally make him regret it. So when you're ready to talk to him about what's going on, do it. Don't force yourself though. And you are more than welcome to tell him to take a flying leap, if you want."

"No, I'm not going to do that. I've been so focused on me and what I'm going to do, I didn't really think about how basically up and leaving would affect him." Monique said thoughtfully, then smiled in satisfaction. "He missed me. I'm glad he was miserable."

Pregnancy hormones was to blame for her absurdity.

* * *

"Get your ass up, shower and have some coffee. Then help me clean up this mess." Jon ripped the blanket off Joe's head after opening the curtains wide, letting in all the beautiful Florida sunshine. "Our women are on their way back and you'll be picking up Monique here."

"She's actually talking to me now?"

"I'm supposed to warn you to be nice or die."

"Shut up." Joe was so hungover right now, his head pounding a beating drum against his skull. He was wearing sunglasses inside, not caring the only people who did that were usually douchebags.

"I don't know what you did to piss her off, but don't do it again. I like you a lot less when you're... moping... over a woman..."

* * *

Around 9 PM that night, Cheria finally pulled the truck into the parking spot of the apartment building, putting it in park. Both girls looked at each other apprehensively, each worried about how their men would react when they found out where they'd actually gone. Jon would blow a gasket and probably end the relationship with Cheria while Joe would demand a DNA test from Monique.

"This is it. We're home."

Flashing hesitant smiles at each other, they slipped out of the truck, closing the doors. Suddenly, the door to the apartment building flew open and Cheria smiled at the sight of Joe making a beeline for Monique, taking her in his arms spinning her around in circles. If she threw up on the Samoan, it was his fault, though Joe had no idea about the pregnancy yet.

"Get a room, you two!"

That was very tempting for several reasons. One: Monique missed Joe and she was ready to make amends with him. Two: If they left now and got that room, they wouldn't have to be here when Cheria came clean about the trip to Cincinnati. Monique didn't think she'd be in as much trouble as Cheria simply because she wasn't the one banging Jon. She bit her lower lip, wondering if Jon would think Cheria betrayed his trust or something, then glanced up at Joe. Hadn't she done the same thing?

Jon came strolling out more casually and draped an arm around Cheria's shoulders, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad you're home, darlin'." He greeted softly, eyeballing the other couple and shook his head. "They need to get a room." He had no idea he repeated what Cheria shouted prior to him coming outside.

Joe flipped them both off.

This was not how she wanted her homecoming to be, but it was just like Jon to be casual about everything. "Come here and show me how much you're glad I'm home."

Yanking on his t-shirt, Cheria squealed when she was lifted off the ground by her backside and wrapped her legs instinctively around Jon's waist, her back colliding with the truck door moments later. Their mouths descended on each other's like vultures, each ravenous for the other since they'd been apart for 3 days. It was the longest Jon and Cheria had gone without being with each other. Cheria pushed the bandana off his head to grip the soft curls beneath and moaned unashamed as their tongues tasted each other again, familiarizing themselves.

"Upstairs. Now." Cheria ordered breathlessly once Jon broke the kiss, caressing every inch of skin not covered. "They can handle their shit, but I need you inside of me now, baby."

Joe shook his head, watching Jon cart Cheria up to their apartment and didn't let go of Monique, refusing to let her leave his sight again. "Come on, I'm taking you back to my place and we're having a talk." He rumbled, grabbing her bag while still keeping her locked around him and lead her to his vehicle.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Hours later, Cheria lay in bed snuggled up with Jon completely content and stroking his bare chest, unable to pull her eyes from his handsome face. They made love in every position imaginable and she was sure he'd invented a new one, not complaining a bit. If he got it from watching porn, at least it wasn't with another woman while she was gone. Jon made her promise never leave the state of Florida without him, regretting not going with her. He missed her far too much and it did Cheria's heart good to hear that. As happy as she was with Jon, however, deep in the back of her mind Cheria knew she would have to come clean about where she'd really been the past 2 almost 3 days. Not to mention the shoebox; whatever was in there kept plaguing her mind too. Jon would be upset with her, angry even, but hopefully he would understand why she had to go to Cincinnati once his temper simmered. It could wait until tomorrow; she was too relaxed and enjoying his affection too much to ruin it now. Jon only left the bed long enough to go to the kitchen and retrieve the now cold, still edible food he had actually prepared for her along with some bottles of water. It had crossed his mind to buy wine or something, but Cheria wasn't legal for drinking just yet. He had already pushed his luck so much with this relationship, Jon doubted there was any left. When he returned and laid everything out, Cheria immediately went on the attack.

"Yeah, you better recover some stamina. We're not finished." He teased, laughing outright at how her eyes widened. "Seriously Cher, I'm glad you're home. Think you might just find a college... locally?"

"I was planning on being local anyway."

Cheria took a bite of food and closed her eyes, savoring the delicious flavor. Jon had went all out for her and instead they had spent hours sexing it up without glancing at any other part of the apartment. Not that either regretted it because they didn't. Going 3 days without having sex with her boyfriend couldn't happen again and Cheria would hopefully never have to take another trip without him again.

"Actually, Monique and I came up with a great plan – more her than I." Cheria took another bite of food and swallowed before telling him about the law firm. "We were talking about the upcoming court hearing with Hussey and…she brought up a good point, Jon. Several, actually. She's going to make a brilliant lawyer for sure. Oh, and she's decided to stay local too."

Now was the time to tell him and Cheria could feel the words bubbling up inside of her, threatening to spill out of her mouth, but for some reason she couldn't. Jon popped a piece of cold delicious chicken in his mouth, eyeballing her curiously. He liked Monique and, sure, she was smart enough, but he had never pegged her for the lawyer type. He had never pegged Cheria as the lawyer type either though. Business management, sure, but law?

"So um, you think you might want to get into law? That's a lot of school time, darlin'." Not to mention a lot of money.

"No! No – no definitely not." Cheria laughed at the thought, shaking her head. "Moni yes, me no. I told her I'd be her busty sexy secretary or administrative assistant - whatever you call it. Short skirts, tight blouses, hair up in a perfect hair-do with glasses on…" She squealed when Jon tackled her to the bed, immediately opening up for him again. They didn't care about the food on the bed, only each other and she managed to have some grapes in her mouth, popping one in his. "Do you want to hear what she suggested or go back to fucking each other senseless and talk more tomorrow?"

Jon envisioned this. Not the lawyer Monique part. Cheria in short skirts, tight blouses and her hair done up in a sexy bun with glasses. The vision of him bending her over her desk, that short skirt riding up her creamy thighs, showing off a hint of her deliciously pert backside. And she looked back at him over her shoulder, biting on her lower lip…Jon snapped out of it when he realized she was still talking to him.

"What?"

Cheria couldn't be mad at him for daydreaming, knowing she'd given him quite the visual and giggled softly, pecking his lips softly. "Nothing baby, let's finish eating."

* * *

Surprisingly, Jon agreed with Monique's idea to take the records from his shop to the courthouse to prove the Hussey's weren't staying away from him. Sure enough, the court hearing was cancelled, but it wasn't due to Jon's evidence – it was Mr. Hussey, Curtis's father, who decided to do it. This all happened in the span of the next few days and Cheria couldn't have been happier. Curtis was irate, sending her various messages on Facebook promising this wasn't over and he'd have her. With those messages and the voicemails he left on her phone, it was enough to be granted a restraining order against him. With Hussey out of the picture, now they had one final obstacle in their way. First, Cheria had to have her blood drawn for the DNA test with Charlotte, currently waiting outside of the building anxiously, trying to look for her possible sister.

"Cheria, over here!" It had taken Charlotte a bit to get here, she was still getting used to the traffic in Tampa as well as navigating the streets. Her GPS gave her directions to get to the building, but it hadn't accounted for construction, or some parade... screw GPS. "Hey." She greeted when they met in the middle, smiling nervously. "Are you ready for this?" Charlotte wrapped her arms around herself, really hoping this wasn't a bust.

Deep inside her heart, she knew Cheria was her sister.

"Hey, everything is gonna be fine, Charlotte." Cheria swathed an arm around the woman's shoulder, seeing the tears shining in her eyes and tried not to let her own form. Not right now. When they got the results back in a few days, then they could cry for either joy or misery. "I know you're my sister. I know we're blood, but…time to prove it once and for all, okay?"

"Okay." Charlotte whispered, feeling a little better about the situation and leaned into Cheria. "Thank you for believing me."

"No, thank you for tracking me down and helping me get my life on track. Now come on, let's go get poked and grab some food. I'm starving since they made us fast for 8 hours straight."

"Which I will never understand." Charlotte understood why people had to fast before tests for diabetes or certain tests that required urine, but for a DNA test? She highly doubted the chemical composition in food or drinks would alter the genetic structure of DNA. "Is there something besides fast food around here? I've seen at least 12 taco stands since I left Betty's this morning." She joked as they headed inside, stopping at the desk to register.

"Oh yeah, awesome deli down the street from where I live. We can go there and then I'll show you the apartment I share with my man."

Cheria wanted to open her life up to Charlotte in every way possible, including introducing her to Jon. Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy fully supported her decision; Cheria would never stop referring them as her family. Because they were. Blood wasn't the only link to being family, after all. Charlotte never got the chance to be in Cheria's life because of Martha – the one obstacle her and Jon would soon be rid of just as soon as the vindictive bitch showed herself. While she was here, she would also get the DNA results from her and Jon's test since they didn't trust Martha's 'document'. Charlotte watched inquisitively while Cheria talked with the receptionist about another test that had been done. Since it was on file, all Cheria had to do was produce ID before she was handed a print-out. Even though she was burning with curiosity, Charlotte didn't ask; it was none of her business. Given why they were here, the reason being Martha, Charlotte figured whatever that test was, it was related to that evil broad.

"Oh yay, I'm up." She grumbled when her name was called, hoping they just did a swab in her mouth because Charlotte hated needles and having her blood drawn.

While Charlotte went to the back to be tested, Cheria sat in the waiting area with the envelope in hand that revealed her and Jon's future. This was it. She took a deep shuddering breath and opened the envelope, pulling the paper out of it. Jon gave her permission to check the results; all he asked was to be texted the results since she was off for the day because of the blood test. Cheria still hadn't told Jon about her and Monique's trip to Cincinnati, hiding the shoebox in the closet since Jon rarely went into it. Mostly, it was her things while he took over the dresser. She would do it; Cheria just needed a little more time to find the courage to tell him. Shutting her eyes and opening the piece of paper, Cheria snapped them open to read the black and white print, tears filling her eyes. She immediately texted Jon with shaky fingers, a huge grin spread across her face. Just as they suspected, Martha's 'document' was fabricated and they were 100% NOT related.

Jon was busy underneath a car when he received the text, hearing his phone going off from his rolling toolbox. The ringtone told him it was Cheria texting him and he felt his entire body tense, knowing she was probably sending him the results of their DNA test. Neither had trusted Martha, or anything she had had her twisted hands in. He was hoping, praying that somehow, someway, Martha had managed to pull a fast one over them. Wiping his hands off on his pants, he slid out from beneath the car and ambled over to the toolbox, his heart rate picking up a bit as he lifted the cell. Joe was in the office dealing with some customers when they all heard was roaring and laughter coming from the garage. He cleared his throat, managing an awkward smile and assumed Jon had gotten some great news.

Sure enough, 5 minutes later Cheria received a text message back consisting of a huge smiley face and 'I love you' from Jon, promising to see each other that night. She knew he was working hard and felt her heart fill with relief. Jon wasn't her biological father. They could be together all they wanted happily – after getting rid of Martha. She was still a problem that had to be dealt with. Her name was called after Charlotte walked out with a bandaged arm, heading to the back to have her own blood drawn. A half an hour later, both girls left the building and headed toward the deli down the street from Cheria and Jon's apartment. They did not see the beady eyes watching their every move or the upper lip curl in a snarl.

Over her dead body would Martha allow Cheria to intervene with her master plan!

Cheria was sticking her nose into a lot of pots lately and Martha was not amused. She was not overly pleased with the daughter of Diane Stone showing up in Florida, all those kids resembled the dead woman, even Cheria. She was less than thrilled Cheria had taken herself to Ohio in search of answers. Martha doubted Claire had said much. Claire was probably half-dead at this point too; alcohol, drugs and whoring were some real killers. Frowning, she tapped her fingers against her mouth, contemplating her next move.

* * *

"We're not related, she is not my daughter." Jon had closed up shop, opened the case of beer they kept in the garage fridge and had a celebratory drink with his best buddy. "She can still call me Daddy though." He smirked, feeling like a giant weight had been lifted from his chest.

Joe snorted, cupping his nose and shook his head. "There's something wrong with you, man. On all levels applicable."

"I've never called you that and I don't plan on ever doing it." Cheria stated from behind, planting her hands on her hips and accepted a soft kiss from her boyfriend, letting it linger a moment longer than usual. "Mmm someone's in a good mood." Turning emerald eyes toward Joe, a smirk crossed her mouth. "So, I suppose I can congratulate you now, eh?"

Joe rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, nodding. "Yeah, I guess so." He still couldn't believe Monique was pregnant, but he wasn't angry about it either. More excited than anything.

Cheria noticed the confusion on Jon's face while his pale blues danced between them. "You don't know?" When Jon shook his head, the smirk turned into a full-blown grin. "Monique's pregnant and Joe's the Daddy."

Watching Jon spew beer out of his nose was a sight Joe would never forget as long as he lived.

Joe paid for that beer being spewed out his nose in the form of a serious punch to the shoulder. Oh that hurt like a son of a bitch and Jon cupped his burning nose, glaring at his supposed best friend from narrowed eyes. "And you were planning on telling me when, Joey?"

Joe shrugged, not rubbing his aching shoulder, enjoying this way too much. Probably more than he should. "I don't know, whenever I got around to it." He was still adapting to the idea of being a father, and grinned when Cheria offered Jon a handkerchief. "Worth it."

"Thanks darlin'..."

"Welcome."

Cheria knew tonight she had to reveal the truth to Jon about what she did and what her road trip with Monique had been about. She wanted to celebrate the fact they weren't related, but…if she kept the truth from him much longer, it would come back to bite her. In order to rid of Martha, Cheria had to tell Jon everything because the plan she had in mind revolved around her visit with Claire. That, and she still had the shoebox to give him as well.

"Come on baby, let's get you home so I can flush your nose out with lukewarm water and then…we need to have a talk." One without tearing into each other sexually, unfortunately.

All Joe could do was gape. "Wait... you're going to flush his nose out with water? Are you his mother?"

Jon punched him again, though his ears were turning red. "Shut it Joe, or else."

Joe was way too entertained, smirking slightly. Jon had gotten his kicks while the girls had been gone, riding his balls about moping over Monique, so this was just payback. Plain and simple. "You know, you two ought to consider having a baby. Then our kids can grow up together."

"Bro! I just found out she ain't my baby and you're..." Jon had to close his eyes. "I'm going to fire you."

"Aaaaaaand on that note, we'll be on our way. Come on, time to go home." Cheria yanked him out of the shop before Joe could tick him off further or goad him, leading her man to each of their vehicles. "See you at home."

She winked, blowing him a kiss before sliding behind the wheel and sped toward the apartment, Jon following. This small ride home gave her time to figure out how to start the conversation of where she'd really gone during their 2 almost 3 days apart. Her nerves were on edge, her body breaking out in a cold sweat and Cheria was sure she'd end up having a small panic attack.

Keeping secrets from Jon had taken its toll on her and it was time to come clean.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

Jon was fuming, glad he was all by his lonesome because it meant he could blast his music and curse Joe the hell out. It would have been more helpful if Joe were there to hear all the cussing, but he took what he got. Monique was pregnant... that actually explained a lot. He and Cheria weren't related; they didn't have to worry about legalities or possible genetic conditions if and when they decided to spawn. Cheria and her lukewarm water remark... his ears were red again. Once he was parked, he quickly exited his truck and walked over to meet her at her car, frowning slightly.

"You're looking a little pale, Cher. You all right?"

"I will be." Cheria took his hand and laced their fingers together, taking a deep breath. "I do need to talk to you about something very important. Come on, let's go upstairs."

Shutting the door to her vehicle, Cheria guided Jon into the building and up to their apartment, unlocking the door with Jon kicking it shut behind them. That sound was ominous. She kicked her own shoes off and sat on the couch, already having the shoebox on the side of it near her. Jon joined her moments later and Cheria didn't take his hands, instead clasping hers in her lap, turning to fully face him.

"I've been lying to you, Jon. And I can't do it anymore. I have to come clean, but before I do, you have to promise me you won't lose your temper. If you do, I'll leave and go to my Aunt's until you've cooled down." Cheria gave him fair warning, refusing to be screamed at over something she felt in her heart she had to do.

"Cheria, I can't promise anything like that."

Jon sounded remarkably calm considering she had just informed him she lied to him. His mind raced, trying to think of what she would be lying about. As far as he had been aware, even with the stuff going on with Martha and Curtis, their lives were pretty good. Maybe it had something to do with her ex-boyfriend, which immediately made Jon's blood boil at the thought. No, Cheria wasn't the cheating type and that dick had treated her badly, so she wouldn't take him back.

"I promise not to hurt you and be as calm as I can possibly be." He said finally, eyeballing her, wondering what she was about to lay on him.

"Alright." Cheria didn't look away from him, trying to regain what courage she had left to spill the truth. "The road trip wasn't to check out a college with Monique. We took a drive up to Cincinnati, actually. And – well – I met your mother, Claire. You told me flat out you didn't want to go or have anything to do with her, so I improvised. I knew if I told you the truth about where we went, you would've tried to stop us. Monique needed to get away from Joe because of the pregnancy thing and…I had to go for my own peace of mind. I had to find out if Claire was the one who sent Charlotte down here to track me down. And she was - did."

He could get mad at her all he wanted, but Cheria didn't regret taking the trip because now she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, Martha Singleton was NOT her biological mother. Jon's mouth was wide open, shock all over his face and in his pale blues. She had... gone to Ohio to see his mother... and lied about it. She had gone to a dangerous part of Cincinnati, put herself, Monique and the baby in danger... because... of a hunch. Jon tore a hand through his hair, taking a step away from her, feeling his temper beginning to slowly rise. Cheria was alright with lying to him, doing stupid things, but wanted him to promise not to lose his cool?

"That's great, Cheria. Really. Fucking fantastic." Jon growled, heading for the kitchen. He needed a drink. He needed... Jon clenched his fist, staring down at it. "I didn't realize we were at the fucking lying point in our relationship and going there... are you out of your mind? Do you have any idea what could have fucking happened to you? Or Monique?" She had gone to Claire - Claire, of all people... and his fist went right through the cupboard door.

Cringing when he did that, Cheria had followed him into the kitchen, but kept a safe distance from him. She wasn't that stupid to approach Jon right now, not with how irate he was. "Yes, I went to Claire because you told me yourself Diane used to watch you a lot. Claire knew exactly who she was and, when I asked about Martha kidnapping a baby girl and running off to Florida, she couldn't deny it! I had to do this, Jon! I wanted to go with you, but you refused and I didn't want to push you to do something you didn't want to! So I went with Monique and we were safe. We didn't go at night; we arrived in the morning and I wasn't there more than a half an hour. I just needed answers and she was the only one who could give them to me because of how close she was, or is, to Martha. I want the evil bitch out of our lives and I had to know if Claire was the one who sent Charlotte down here to find me. I had to do it! So yeah, I may be out of my mind, but at least I went and got my answers without the help of a man. Sometimes, a woman has to do what a woman has to do. Go ahead, break another cupboard and see how you feel once you've calmed down and realize what a jackass you're being right now!"

Jon shot her a baleful look, wondering just what the hell was wrong with her generation. Without a man? She sounded like an idiot right now and he just shook his head. "You discussed it with me once, Cheria, ONCE! And instead of giving me time to cool down or explain yourself a bit more, you jumped the gun and 'did what a woman has to do'. Fine. Whatever. Do whatever. I don't fucking care." He grabbed his keys off the counter, needing to put some distance between them. "I'm going out. Don't wait up."

Needing a drive – a long drive with nothing except him, the road and time to sort his head out, Cheria had just twisted his mind in a pretzel along with his heart. Watching him storm out of the apartment, Cheria felt tears burn her eyes and slide down her cheeks, covering her mouth with her hand. That didn't go how she originally planned in her head, but what did she expect? She had blatantly lied to Jon about where she went for those few days and it'd been a week since returning. The day had started off wonderfully and ended with Jon leaving her alone in the apartment.

Cheria couldn't stay here and grabbed her own keys, suspecting this would happen. She placed the shoebox on the bed in their room with a note attached to it before leaving to go to Aunt Betty's. Halfway there, Cheria stopped and pulled over, unable to see the road without blurred vision. Aunt Betty had enough on her plate right now and Cheria didn't want to add to it. Joe and Monique were busy with each other preparing for their baby to come in the world, so going there wasn't an option either. Looking down at her cell phone, Cheria dialed the number and waited for the person to answer.

"Hello?"

"Charlotte, it's Cheria. Listen, I know it's somewhat late, but…I really need to talk to someone. Can I come over for a bit?"

"Sure, no problem." Charlotte currently stayed in a hotel, not feeling comfortable being around people she didn't know, even though Betty and Roy were purely pleasant toward her. "My room number is 302, I'm at the Hilton hotel downtown."

"Be there in 10. Thanks."

* * *

She had lied to him!

LIED!

Given everything that they had gone through in their very memorable, if not short relationship, Jon figured him and Cheria would never have to worry about problems that plagued other couples. They had strange messed up problems. Not lying, or anything like that. He was wrong. She had... Jon slapped his fist against the steering wheel, letting out a stream of curses that would make a sailor blush.

* * *

Through ice cream from room service and tears, Cheria explained everything to Charlotte, dipping her spoon in the cold comfort food. That's exactly what she used ice cream for – comfort food. "I know it was wrong to lie to him. I get it. And yes I jumped the gun going to Cincinnati with Monique, but honestly he's not thinking about how all of this makes me feel! I spent my whole life with people I thought were my blood family only to find out they're not! I found out I've had a sister my whole life, an actual sibling with the same blood flowing through our veins, and a mother who I will never get to meet because I was stolen from her by a vindictive bitch! And he doesn't even care! All he cares about is the fact I lied to him, when there's a bigger picture to look at." Sniffling, she took another huge bite of ice cream. "And before you say anything, I already know you're my sister without having the results from the blood test. I mean, we do look alike."

Charlotte had listened patiently to Cheria's rambling, keeping that bowl of ice cream constantly topped off because there was nothing better for tears than ice cream. That was something Charlotte had learned from her mother. "Yes, we do. You look like Mom. We all do." She reached out to brush Cheria's hair back from her face, leaning in to briefly press her head against her sister's. "Sweetie, that's just it, you lied to him. I get there's a bigger picture, but he loves you and you lied to him. It's going to take him a bit to get over that. Imagine if he would have done that to you." Charlotte nodded when Cheria made a face. "Yeah, it would suck. He'll get over it and probably understand, but... it sounds like you hurt his feelings or his pride."

"I know I did." Cheria whispered, lowering her eyes from her older sister and heaved a trembling sigh, taking another bite of ice cream. "I wanted to tell him the truth. I didn't want to go to Cincinnati without him knowing. I panicked because…I wanted the truth from Claire and I knew she was the only person who had the answers I needed. Jon wants nothing to do with his Mom and I don't blame him. She's a mean old hag and lives like a dog. But I did ask him first to go with me once and, instead of talking to me about it, he shut me down and told me flat out no. So I went to my best friend. I had to know the truth and who sent you down here to find me. And if he can't understand that and forgive me, then maybe we're not meant to be after all."

Since Charlotte had no idea what kind of upbringing Jon had other than the very few tidbits she had heard from her mother, she didn't know what to say to that and simply held her tongue. "Maybe, if there had been a little time, he might've come around, Cheria." Charlotte crooned quietly, taking a very soft approach with the weeping woman. "I think you need to spend the night here and he needs to take the night off. You two should talk again when everything is calmer. One fight doesn't mean you're not meant to be, it just means you're like any other couple."

Deep down, Cheria knew Charlotte was right and made a valid point, wiping the rest of her tears away. Things would work out with Jon, he just needed time to vent and get over what happened. At the very least, she had come clean to him and now she could sleep with a clear conscience.

"Thank you for the ice cream. It always cheers me up when I'm feeling down." She murmured, pushing the bowl away since her stomach felt like it would explode if she took another bite.

Charlotte smiled, taking the bowl and set it on the nightstand. "It was mine and Mom's favorite comfort food too. Though it's interesting what flavor you chose…"

"Why do you say that?"

"Neapolitan was Mom's favorite too."

"Awesome taste must run in the family."

Charlotte laughed, knowing Cheria needed a good night's rest and, in the morning, things would be better. At the very least, getting all that off her chest had to help. "I'll get some extra blankets. I'll take the couch, you can have the bed, all right?" She had no problem with sharing, but given Cheria didn't know her all that well, Charlotte figured she'd give up the bed.

"Why? The bed is more than big enough for both of us and, besides, you can tell me more about our mother."

Cheria helped gather the extra blankets and snuggled in bed with Charlotte, each of them lying on their sides facing each other. For the next few hours, she listened while Charlotte explained what their mother was like, even showing her pictures on her cell phone. It wasn't a huge surprise Charlotte had a Facebook account either.

"How did she…die?" Cheria was afraid to ask this question and could see the pain flash across Charlotte's face, frowning. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Forget I asked."

"No, it's all right..." Charlotte said quietly after a long moment, finally taking a deep breath. "Cancer. She had it for years. We all thought it had gone into remission, but... it came back and she couldn't beat it this time."

Considering Diane had lived in what was basically a hellhole for years, Charlotte tended to blame that environment for her mother's cancer. The woman hadn't smoked or drank in years. She had lived a clean, as healthy as she could, life.

"I know it sucks you couldn't know her, Cheria, but she never gave up on loving you."

Cancer…that dreaded disease that took so many lives and left loved ones mourning who they lost. It claimed another victim – their mother – and Cheria couldn't stop the tears from falling. What broke her heart was the fact she would never meet her real mother, the woman who gave birth to her. Martha took that opportunity away from her for 18 years and made her believe she was bred from a monster. Charlotte held her close, rubbing her back and cried as well, both sisters mourning over their recently deceased mother. As soon as Diane died and Charlotte had the services, she left Montana to venture to Cincinnati and from there, Claire Good sent her to Tampa, Florida. Finding Cheria wasn't hard since she had a rare name and the fact Claire divulged the information of Martha's sister and brother-in-law…for a price.

Exhausted mentally, physically and emotionally, Cheria cried herself to sleep and Charlotte followed shortly after, both sisters curled up against each other.


	40. Chapter 40

****Regarding Charlotte and Cheria's age difference, I made a mistake when I was writing Chapter 33 and have fixed it and uploaded it again. Charlotte IS the older sister and Cheria is the youngest. Chapter 33 explains everything in further detail. Now on with the rest of the story!****

Chapter 40

Charlotte was up bright and early simply because she was a morning person and had been raised not to waste daylight. She smiled down at the sight of her sleeping sister. There was no point waiting on the results of a DNA test, her heart had already decided for her. She ordered some room service for breakfast before hitting the shower, deciding to let Cheria sleep in. After the night her little sister endured, she definitely deserved whatever peace sleep could bring her. When Charlotte emerged, she wasn't surprised to find Cheria awake.

"Morning." She greeted, walking over to sit on the edge of the bed, frowning slightly. "You look like you could use some more sleep, Cheria."

"No, I'm fine. Always been an early riser what with school and stuff."

Cheria stretched her arms in the air, accepting a cup of hot java from her sister and sipped it slowly, trying not to think about Jon. She had work in a couple hours at the shop and knew being around Jon wouldn't be easy, but she had no choice. Paying off the vehicle he fixed for her was still a priority in her life. Looking up at her older…sister, Cheria hoped Charlotte didn't go back to Montana because they'd just found each other and they were all each other had left in their family tree – as far as Cheria knew anyway.

"Have you decided if you're sticking around the Tampa area?"

"I don't know yet. Since Mom passed, I don't have family in Montana. Our family was all in Ohio, but I don't speak with them much, mostly... extended family, you know?" Well no, Cheria didn't and Charlotte felt like the world's biggest jackass, lowering her head for a moment and cleared her throat. "I don't want to leave just yet. I'd like to get to know you better." That, and Charlotte wanted to see if they could handle being around each other a lot or if this was just a temporary deal before deciding to uproot her life or Cheria's. "If you don't mind, that is."

"Well if you're going to stay here, we do have a spare bedroom at the apartment you can occupy until you find a place of your own. I can help you find a job too, if you need one."

Cheria had no idea if Charlotte was well-off financially or if she was using credit cards, stacking her debt up to the size of Mount Rushmore. Whatever the case, Cheria wanted to do what she could to help Charlotte get settled in Tampa since nothing was waiting for her in Montana or Ohio. This woman had literally been an angel and lifesaver without realizing it just by showing up in Tampa.

"Maybe we can get you a job at the shop. I can ask Jon once we're, ya know, talking again…"

Charlotte received a small payout from the life insurance policy Diane had. She felt guilty now not sharing it with Cheria, but at the time, she hadn't known she had a sister. That payout covered Diane's burial, paid off some debts and was what was now cushioning her visit here. She was good for a few weeks or so; hotels were not cheap.

"I'm sure you'll hear from him soon. He sounds like a wonderful guy, Cheria. I'm sure he'll come around." Charlotte heard all about Jon from Betty and Roy, both truly fond of the man.

"Yeah he is a great guy, the best I've ever been with. I know I'm young and naïve when it comes to serious relationships and I shouldn't have lied to him. I just hope he forgives me and we can move on from this." Cheria was afraid of losing Jon the more she thought about their fight and her confession of going to Cincinnati with Monique. "He's right, I was stupid to go to Cincinnati with my pregnant friend. Something horrible could've happened to us there and he would've never known. And I didn't give him much of a chance after he shut down the idea of going to Cincinnati with me. I should've let him cool off and talked rationally with him about it instead of jumping the gun and going on my own." Sighing heavily, she swirled the coffee around in her cup before finishing the rest of it and stood up to walk into the makeshift kitchen. "I've made my bed and now I need to lie in it, I guess."

"Sweetheart, if you tell him what you just told me…well…not exactly like you told me, but you get the point. He'll forgive you, if he hasn't already." Charlotte knew very little about Jon's background, just that he had come from a seriously broken home, which seemed to be standard for anyone who had lived in that neighborhood. She barely remembered it, thankfully. "And if he doesn't, then he is the world's biggest fool because you are obviously head over heels in love with him."

"That I am. Is it really that obvious?" Cheria grumbled wholeheartedly, trying not to smile at the thought of Jon.

"Very. Sorry sister, but even a blind person could - can see it."

"Lovely." Another grumble followed by a refill of coffee. "I know he loves me too, but he does have trust issues when it comes to people. I lied to him, so it's going to take more than a day for him to get over what I did. I may have to stay here a few more days, if you don't mind. Then we can move to the apartment."

"No problem, I have this place for another week anyway." Prepaying for the room gave her a huge discount and the hotel manager had been very kind to her regarding the price. "Hop in the shower and get ready for work. I'll order us some breakfast."

Cheria obeyed, grabbing her phone on the way to the bathroom and checked her messages, frowning when she had only one from Monique asking if she was alright. **With Charlotte, got into a fight with Jon. Finally told him the truth. Call you later. **She texted back before hopping in the shower to clean up, mentally preparing herself to go to the shop.

* * *

"Wow..."

Monique blinked, rereading her text and showed it to Joe. She had already come clean with him and managed a lucky break. He had been so... dazed by the baby news that the whole Ohio trip had gone over pretty well. Monique showed him the message, letting Joe take her cell while she finished braiding his hair for work. She had to stand on a chair to do it, but it was something she enjoyed doing. Joe sighed, setting the cell down and closed his eyes, wondering what the hell Jon was doing.

"That explains why he's not answering his phone."

Jon had a temper and Joe had a feeling it had detonated.

* * *

"He's not here."

Walking into the shop, Cheria had realized that when she pulled into the parking lot and didn't spot Jon's truck anywhere in sight. "I figured." She murmured softly, walking around the desk to put her purse in the drawer and sat down.

"What happened?"

Cheria recounted the fight her and Jon had because of her stupid decision to lie to him, keeping her eyes averted during the elucidation. "I was wrong. And I shouldn't have dragged Monique with me, especially since she's pregnant. I'm so sorry, Joe."

Under normal circumstances, Joe would've ripped her a new backside verbally and lectured her to hell and back. However, Cheria was beating herself up enough over this and he didn't want to make her feel worse. "I'm sure he'll get over it. Just give him a few days to calm down. I'll check on him after work tonight."

"Thank you, Joe."

Shredding Cheria verbally once had gotten him nothing except a beating. There wouldn't be a repeat. While he didn't agree with her running out and doing what she had done, he understood her reasons. If he was in her shoes, he'd want to know the truth too. Joe knew he would've done the same exact thing, consequences be damned.

"Hey," He reached out to place a hand on her shoulder as Cheria hung her head, offering a reassuring smile. "It'll be all right, okay? I know Jon; he just needs a day or two, but he'll be back."

"I hope you're right, big man."

* * *

3 days passed since the fight and Cheria still hadn't heard anything from Jon. Monique told her Joe had been there every night at the apartment with Jon, trying to talk to him, but all they did was drink and game. She didn't mind it too much because it gave the girls time to hang out. Charlotte fit in with them, all 3 enjoying nights eating ice cream, watching chick flicks and getting to know each other – mainly Cheria and Monique getting information on Charlotte. Turns out, she'd been married right out of high school, but her fiancé had died while overseas defending their country 3 months into their engagement. It devastated her and she hadn't dated since. That was nearly 8 years ago.

"You know, it just so happens Joe and Jon have a friend who is currently single and looking to mingle."

"I don't know…"

"Oh come on! His name is Samuel Johnston, but most people just call him Sami for short. He is gorgeous and sounds like someone who's right up your alley as far as rock music and horror movies. I think you two would really hit it off."

Charlotte looked unsure, nervous because she hadn't been on a date in almost a decade. "What if he thinks I'm nuts because I wanted to marry my high school sweetheart?"

"He won't, trust me. Just give him one date and, if you don't like him, I'll make sure he stays away from you, Char."

"Fine – fine set it up."

"Seriously?"

Monique let out a squeal when Charlotte nodded and had to hold herself back from reaching for her cell. She would set it up tomorrow; tonight was for the girls. Charlotte took a deep breath, smiling nervously at Cheria. She had been out of the game for so long, it was ridiculous. Not overly inclined to date, Charlotte was sure she was destined to die single and alone. Maybe a change of scenery was doing her some good for a change.

"Just... don't go planning my wedding yet, Monique."

"I'm too busy planning my own..."

Promptly spewing her water everywhere, Cheria coughed and covered her mouth with her hand, eyes shooting open. "WHAT?!"

Monique giggled nervously, finally extending her left hand that had a beautiful simple diamond ring set on a silver band around her left ring finger. "I was going to mention it, but…"

"OH MY GOD!" Cheria snatched Monique's hand roughly to look at the ring, mouth dropped open in a perfect O shape. "W-When, how, where?!"

"The night you and Jon had your fight. I was going to call and tell you the next day, but…" Monique cleared her throat awkwardly, cracking a hesitant smile. "I couldn't say no to him. And he already moved me into his place as of yesterday."

"WHAT?!"

"Sis, calm down before you end up having an aneurysm."

All those reasons aside, Monique had also put off telling Cheria the good news because she wasn't entirely sure how her friend would react. She knew some people would assume it was because they were having a baby due to the huge age difference. Joe would want to make an honest woman of her and make sure their baby wasn't born a bastard. Now she was having issues, wondering if that was what he was doing... pregnancy was messing with her head.

"I have to pee."

"Pregnancy sure looks like fun." Charlotte commented with a shake of her head, smiling, keeping count on the bathroom breaks.

"You should've seen how many times I had to stop on the way to Cincinnati and back. I lost count on both of my hands and feet." It was well over 20 times, maybe close to 50, though that might've been a BIT of an exaggeration. "Hey Char, if you don't wanna go on this date with Sami, just say the word and I'll deter Monique from making the call." Cheria didn't want her newfound sister pushed into a situation she wasn't ready for. "He is a nice guy though and you look like you can use some fun in your life, if that's all you're looking for."

Charlotte raised the small tablet from the bedside table she had taken, setting her pen aside, and showed Cheria the tally marks she was using. Pregnancy played hell on a woman's bladder, but it was still amusing. It would be less amusing if she were in that position, not that Charlotte knew what sex was anymore. She knew what C batteries were, but not sex.

"I'm fine, I don't mind. I'm just nervous since I haven't been on a date in…let's just say the well is dry and it's fixing to seal shut for good if the drought continues."

"Time for the drought to end then." Cheria concluded with a grin, both girls looking up when Monique came out of the bathroom and Charlotte held up the tally marks. "Number 15, so far."

"Actually, it's 16…"

"You both suck." Monique grumped, placing her hands on her hips and went to sit down, groaning when her eyes flew open. "Damn kid! Get off my bladder already!" She ran right back to the bathroom, making the sisters laugh hysterically.

"That's 17…" Cheria wheezed out, holding her side on the bed with her head against Charlotte's, both not remembering the last time they laughed so hard. "I told her to plug it up and she won't listen to me…"

"Plug it up? I don't think sticking a cork up there will work…"

"Then maybe a colostomy bag?"

"I CAN HEAR YOU BOTH!"

They laughed harder.

"She's so tiny, it's hard to believe she's pregnant." Charlotte commented, once she was done laughing and could breathe again, wiping tears from her eyes. When Monique came back out, she added the new tally, smiling sweetly. "Have you picked out names yet?"

"Junior and Junior. Works for both a boy and a girl." Monique grumped good-naturedly, eyeballing them both. "You two look a lot alike. You have the same facial structure." Other than their hair color and the fact Charlotte was older... they were pretty close to twins.

It was obvious they were sisters.

"Junior is not a name for a boy or a girl, Moni. And funny you should say that because the nurse at the clinic said the same thing. She wondered if we were fraternal twins and I told her no because we're…wait, how old are you, Charlotte?" Cheria felt foolish not asking this question sooner, knowing she was the youngest because of the scrapbook Charlotte gave her when they first met.

"26."

"So we're…8 years apart then?"

"Correct. Come to think of it, today marks the death anniversary of Thomas." Charlotte smiled sadly, looking at her phone to make sure she had the date right. "Having you here, both of you, helps me. Thank you."

Cheria's heart broke for her older sister, wrapping her arm around Charlotte's shoulders and hugged her tightly. "I'll always be here for you, Char, I promise."

This was such a sweet moment, and Monique almost felt like she was intruding upon it. She watched the sisters hugging and smiled, reaching up to brush away a tear. Hormones were going to be the death of her and she genuinely felt bad for Joe if they got any worse, pretty sure she should give him a disclaimer or something. She grabbed her cell and snapped a picture of the two, smiling brightly when they both looked at her.

"We need to start an album. This is a new chapter for you both and you should have lots of pictures and memories of each other."

"No." Cheria took the phone from Monique and pulled her over to where she was in the middle with Charlotte on one side and her best friend, her sister from another mister, on the other. "I told you nothing changes, Moni. You are still my sister. Now I just have another one to add to my family." She kissed Monique's forehead and then Charlotte's, snapping a picture of all 3 of them together. "Now THAT is an album worthy photo."

For the rest of the night, the girls laughed and talked for hours, just enjoying being carefree with light hearts and minds. Teasing Monique was a huge part of it since they tallied her going to the bathroom 30 times and everyone fell asleep just after 2 AM.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Jon had never been so hungover in his life.

Actually, he was still drunk... it was hard to tell when he couldn't open his eyes because just twitching an eyelid hurt. Cheria was staying with her sister, so far as he knew, and he had the place all to himself. Joe hadn't said a word about Cheria either, focusing on drinking and gaming. Jon wondered how Monique felt about it and asked, simply being told she understood the men needed bonding time. He wouldn't go that far to call it bonding, but having Joe nearby helped Jon keep his wits on track. The Samoan provided beer, not alright with Jon's mass consumption of whiskey and played video games, behaving like a true brother should. For the most part it was fun, but even through the drunken stupor, Jon found himself thinking about Cheria and her betrayal. It pained him physically not to have Cheria by his side with his arms around her at night in their bed. He just needed a little more time to cope and get over being lied to and then he would talk to her.

"Mother... fucker..."

Maybe a drinking marathon hadn't been the brightest idea on his part. The moment Jon's eyes opened, they immediately shut again by a lethal kick to the face, knocking the man unconscious. Joe was asleep on the other couch knocked out, thanks to a small sleeping pill he took to get proper rest. Idiot. Lifting Jon up over a strong shoulder, he was carted out of his apartment, down the backway of the building and slung into a waiting vehicle.

"Where's my money?"

"You'll get it, don't worry. Hop in, your job isn't done yet."

The figure obeyed, barely closing the door before the vehicle took off.

* * *

"Charlotte, if you don't get your butt out of there I'm coming in!"

Monique hadn't done the pee dance since she was in 2nd grade. She was stepping from foot to foot, legs clenched together, hunched over. Not usually an early riser unless she had to be, this bladder thing was officially out of control. If this kid didn't stop doing jumping jacks on her bladder, Monique was tempted to rip it out of her. She needed to make sure this peeing thing all the time was normal and couldn't wait for her 3 month checkup. Charlotte, with hair still covered in suds and shower going, slipped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.

"Thank you!"

Giggling uncontrollably while curling her hair in loose banana curls, Cheria looked down at the counter near the door and saw Joe was calling her. Weird, why was he calling her instead of his fiancée? "Your woman is peeing for the millionth time, just thought I'd let you know." She said by way of greeting.

"Are you alone?" Joe sounded panicked and for good reason, pacing back and forth in the middle of Jon's living room.

"No…" Cheria frowned, setting the curling iron down when Joe instructed her to go out in the hallway or somewhere private. She opted for the balcony, smiling at her sister on the way and closed the door behind her. Thankfully, they were sound proof. "What's going on, Joe?"

"Jon's gone."

Her heart dropped to the depths of her stomach. "What do you mean 'gone'?"

"Gone as in split, left town, gone." Joe tore a hand through his hair, not understanding this at all. "He was going to call you today. He wanted to make amends and now…now he's gone. And his fucking car is still here."

Cheria swallowed hard, trying to take a deep breath and managed to remain calm – or as calm as she could. "He would never go anywhere without his only vehicle…" What the hell was going on?

"His cell phone is off and goes straight to voicemail, before you ask."

Pacing on the balcony, work was suddenly the last thing on Cheria's mind. "We have to find him."

If the truck had been gone, Joe would have thought Jon had split town hands down. But the truck, Jon's pride and joy, his carefully cared for baby, was sitting right where it had been parked. "Yeah, we do."

Stopping his pacing and turning in a slow circle, Joe took in the living room carefully. When he had first let himself in, Joe hadn't thought much about anything. However, not being able to find Jon or reach him by cell, he would have thought Jon had just gone for a walk or something. His dressers were empty, cleaned out.

"Maybe you should come look and see if you can't spot something I'm missing."

"I'm on my way." Cheria ended the call and walked back into the room, both Monique and Charlotte instantly noting the change in her mood.

"Cheri, what's wrong?" Monique asked, having received a text from Joe to call him immediately, but she'd been in the bathroom at the time peeing. "Joe texted me and-"

"It's Jon." Cheria murmured, somewhat in a daze and headed for the front door past her best friend and newfound sister, grabbing her keys. "He's – something's happened to him."

"Are you sure?" Charlotte didn't want her sister driving in this state, immediately taking the keys away. "Where are you going?"

"To the apartment to meet Joe. We have to find him. Moni, stay here with Char and don't leave the hotel for any reason. I will call with updates." She took the keys back from Charlotte, swallowing hard when her newfound sister was hesitant to release them. "I'll be fine. Please let me go."

"Call us as soon as you find out something and don't jump to conclusions."

"He could've gone for a walk or something. Don't assume the worse yet."

"Got it." Cheria rushed out the door and down to her vehicle, speeding to the apartment hoping Jon was alright.

* * *

His head pounded with what felt like a rapid beating drum against his skull, his eyes dry along with his throat and tongue. Had he had spent the night licking cotton swabs or something? He was never drinking again. Then a new pain made itself known, in his nose, and Jon made a face, his lip throbbing painfully. Unbeknownst to him, it had been split open from his attacker. Blinking, he gingerly tried to stretch and couldn't, frowning.

"He's waking up."

"Mmm, good..."

This bitch was insane. All Curtis wanted to do was kill Jonathan Good and she... hell, he wasn't entirely sure what she wanted. His father would have the case dropped; there was nothing to prove Jon had done anything Curtis had accused and his father would not have his name dragged through the social mud. Curtis hadn't taken the news well and letting the grease monkey win. He would NOT let Jonathan Good win, no matter what or who he had to deal with. Martha would not let Jon and Cheria win either. After finding out Cheria had gotten the real blood test from the clinic regarding the DNA test, Martha knew her plan had gone up in flames. Or had it? She had to act fast, faster than she wanted to, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Curtis had been a good boy attacking and kidnapping Jon, having a personal vendetta against him. Having his case tossed out against Jon pissed the boy off and Martha fed off of his anger, using it to her advantage. He wasn't bad in bed, but his cock was nothing compared to what Jon packed. That she was sure of. Looking down at the specimen in front of her, Martha watched his glazed over pale blues slowly widen while staring up at her upside down. He was strapped down to the bed, legs spread and arms up in thick leather cuffs. It was a metal bed, Martha not taking chances with wood because of how strong Jon was. A leather strap buckled around his abdomen to keep him from springing up with what she had in mind. She was encased in a skimpy white negligee that barely covered any of her body, just her nipples and no panties on.

"Hello Jonny boy." Martha purred, sliding his hands up and down his chest through the bars of the metal bed. "Did you miss me?"

This had to be Jon's worst nightmare brought to life. His pale blues shot wide open now and, for a moment, he was a boy of age 12 being coaxed into a bedroom. Instructed to touch her... his dirty jeans pulled down and... He shuddered, trying to push away the awful memory. This was worse than that. He was a grown man and she was a hag serious with issues. Jon tried moving again, ignoring his throbbing head and took note that he was strapped down in various places. This whore was smarter than he had given her credit for.

"I'm going to snap your fucking neck, Martha. You can bet on that." He promised in a low hiss, after a moment, sounding a lot calmer then he felt. "Where are we? How did you manage to pull this off? GET YOUR DAMN HANDS OFF OF ME!"

Curtis would admit to jumping a little at that bellow, watching Jon strain against the thick leather cuffs and was convinced he would snap them.

"No worries, Curtis, he won't get loose." Martha assured her accomplice, sliding a finger down his chest before popping it in her mouth, savoring the flavor since he too was shirtless. Jon was who she really wanted though. "Time to leave, baby boy." She smacked his cheek gently and pointed to the door, moving to straddle Jon ignoring his bellows. "I promise I'll make this really pleasurable for you, Jonny, far more than the last time. Remember how good it was? Your dick was a little too small for my liking back then, but now…it's such a strong piece of meat I just wanna sink my teeth into." The door closing told Martha they were completely alone and she moved down past his cock to rest on her bent knees in front of him between his spread legs. "Now then, let's see what makes my man tick."

If it was the last thing she did, Martha would erase Cheria from Jon's mind. Jon knew the mechanics of rape. He had been to the therapy sessions and learned all about the body responding while the mind said no. Hearing and learning about rape from a man's perspective, he hadn't been comfortable then and definitely not now. He knew yelling was pointless, so Jon began cursing, calling this whore every name he could think of and some new ones made up entirely on the spot while staring at the ceiling. Trying to think of anything except what was happening; anything gross... like her - Martha was disgusting - in an attempt to keep his cock softened.

Snickering from outside the door, Curtis made sure he at least recorded the sound, loving the fact that Jonathan Good sounded genuinely terrified. He was sorely tempted to send the recording to Cheria's phone, but knew if he did she could use it as evidence against him if they were ever caught. Once Martha finished having her protein shake, taking a while because Jon had fought more than she thought he would, she removed herself from the bed and gripped his face tightly in her hand.

"I'll give you a little break and come back for more in a little while, Jonny boy. When I'm done with you, Cheria will cease to exist in your mind and heart. I will replace her." Martha roughly kissed him, making sure not to shove her tongue in his mouth and pushed his face back down on the bed, leaving him alone strapped down in the room. "Curtis, keep him hydrated and nothing more. I'm going out for a little while to gather some…supplies." Then she went to get dressed, whistling happily.

Rolling his eyes, Curtis gathered an empty bucket and a few bottles, walking into the room. He shook his head and retrieved a sheet that had been discarded, covering up the other man's junk. "You look... like a pathetic little bitch." He sneered, smirking down at Jon and set down the bucket. "Now, if you need to use the little boy's room, suck it up because I'm not about to hold it for you and I don't think you've been good enough to get even a leg untied." That and Curtis wasn't stupid; he wasn't risking anything happening to his precious head. "Jonny boy, was it good? You think Cheri is going to want you still? You're damaged goods, man."

"Maybe..." Jon agreed, licking his dry lips, staring up at the ceiling and refused to let this little bastard see him break. "But don't think for a second, Hussey, she'll ever want anything to do with you. You're not even a speck of dirt on her shoe. You're absolutely nothing, lower than pond scum."

Flying into a rage, Curtis uncapped the water and gripped Jon's jaw, digging in his fingers until the other man's mouth opened. "Stay hydrated, Martha's not done with you yet!" He snarled, letting the water pour right down Jon's throat, laughing as the grease monkey began sputtering. "Choke on it, Good."

* * *

"Uncle Roy, we have to find him!" Cheria was near hysterics, feeling Aunt Betty hold her shoulders from behind trying to keep her calm. "I'm sorry, I'm just worried about Jon."

"I understand that, Cheri, but it takes time. I'm doin' everything I can right now." Roy had called the police station, having some friends in the system and they were on the hunt for Jon. "We're going to find him, I promise you that."

"That evil bitch…"

Cheria eyeballed the bright red lipstick on the table and felt tears slide down her cheeks. That was the only evidence she found in the apartment after her and Joe stripped it down, finding it near the door under the entertainment center. Jon had splurged a bit since Cheria moved in to make the apartment more like a 'home' for her, filling it up somewhat.

"I know she's behind this. I know it."

It was hard to argue Cheria's point, but they had no legitimate proof Martha was behind Jon's disappearance. "What if it was Curtis Hussey?" Betty suddenly asked, looking down at her niece and saw the worried look cross her husband's face. "Think about it, he's a suspect too after the case being dropped."

"Oh god…" Where the hell was Jon? She would kill Hussey if he had anything to do with Jon's disappearance and hurt the love of her life! "Uncle Roy, call again."

Roy sighed, following his niece's instructions.

"Calm down, Cheri, we'll find him, I promise." Betty soothed, wrapping her arms around the trembling girl and pressed a kiss to Cheria's temple. "We will, sweetheart." When Cheria broke down sobbing, she felt like crying too and rocked her like she was a little girl again.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Of all the people to show up at her door, Claire had not been expecting Martha. The years had not been kind to Claire by any stretch of the imagination. Underneath what was definitely some botched plastic surgery, they hadn't been overly nice to Martha either. Martha looked... flashy, glamorous, at first glance. A second glance told a different story.

"I haven't seen you in... forever." She greeted dryly, sober today and fresh from... work.

"Well darling, I figured since I was in the neighborhood..."

Martha smiled, feeling very happy right now. She swore she could still taste Jon in her mouth and stifled a groan of longing. Eyeballing her ex-best friend, Claire shut the door behind her and walked back over to sit on the couch, lighting up a cigarette.

"What brings you back here? Thought you were shacked up down south?"

"I was…" Martha giggled, practically dancing over to take a seat on the couch beside Claire and snatched her cigarette to take a quick drag off of it. "I'll be going back. My daughter is down there, after all." She had no idea Cheria paid a visit to Claire, only that her daughter had left Tampa for a few days, according to Betty. "I'm here for a reason, so don't get your panties in a bunch."

"So out with it, I have a client in an hour I have to prep for." Claire snapped, not in the mood for beating around the bush because Martha was a master at it and snatched her cigarette back.

"Very well." Whipping her phone out, Martha showed Claire a picture of Jon strapped to the bed with jeans on and a t-shirt, having stripped him naked after snapping it. "How would you like to make amends with Jonny boy?"

Claire's very first thought was actually a maternal one. She would be the first to admit a stray cat was a better mother then her, but... her pale blues studied the picture, not revealing anything she was thinking. Being in her line of work, a whore, tended to make a woman good at hiding her thoughts and emotions. No client liked to see a bored expression on her face or in her eyes while screwing them. Claire knew those eyes and curly mop of hair anywhere... she hadn't seen her son in over 15 years, but that didn't matter. The thought of him being strapped down, in Martha's clutches, made her stomach convulse in disgust, another feeling she didn't usually have anymore.

"Well now, you have my attention." Claire reached out to grab her crumpled pack of smokes off her begrimed coffee table, offering one to her ex-friend. "What's on your mind, Marty?" She managed a smile when Martha giggled at the old nickname.

That was more like it, Martha thought, taking a long drag from the cigarette to let the nicotine filter through her system. "Well, I know you're sore at me for what I did to Jonny back in the day. You have to remember, I was young and foolish, Claire Bear. I had no idea what the hell I was doing. Damn drugs." She sighed, lying through her teeth and pulling it off to perfection. "I tracked Jon down in Tampa and…we've been seeing each other…secretly. I mean with me being in my late 50's and him just starting his 30's…" Martha licked her lips avidly at the thought of Jon waiting for her to start round 2 at the hideout. "If you're wondering why he's strapped down in the photo – well, let's just say the sex we have is on the kinky side and leave it at that."

Given that before he had been taken away by Betty and Roy and Claire had seen him, she knew this was complete and utter absurdity being fed to her. Nothing more than lies. Jon had been a terrified little boy and he had been... Claire had drank herself silly for months after that, knowing there was no way to fix what happened to him. She had put her boy in a situation he hadn't been able to get out of and highly doubted Jon would ever consider touching Martha with anything. Except a fist wrapped in chains, especially when he had that high-society, beautiful girl Cheria head over heels for him.

"I'm not asking." Claire wrinkled her nose in disgust, shaking her head when Martha giggled. "You're so bad." She teased, mentally screaming every obscenity she could come up with at Martha. "You think I could make amends with him then?"

"Don't see why not. He forgave me for what I did to him when he was 12."

Martha didn't sound the least bit apologetic for raping a 12 year old boy, even if it was her best friend's. Why should she? Everyone made mistakes in life. She was ready to leave the past behind them and move on with Jon by her side. Eventually, he would see the error being with Cheria and enjoy being with her. It would take time and effort to break him, but any horse could be broken if tamed enough. Not that Claire needed to know that. What Claire didn't know wouldn't hurt her at this point.

"You name the time and place; I'll pick you up and take you to him. And he'll welcome you with open arms, I promise you that."

Claire's mind was racing, something she wasn't accustomed to. Years of drug use and alcohol abuse were not her friend; it was a mercy she was completely sober right now. "Well Marty, I have a job in... less than an hour." She said after checking her split screen cell phone. "But afterwards, once I've cleaned up. You just let me know when a good time is. I don't want to intrude." Stubbing out what was left of her cigarette, Claire winked to keep the act up. "But I'm free tomorrow and the day after for sure."

Martha thought about it for a few seconds, deciding she wasn't finished with Jon yet and would need time to clean him up, preferably the entire night. "Tomorrow then. Afternoon sometime; I'll text you, so keep your schedule open."

She smirked and blew smoke out, trusting Claire wholeheartedly. Where else would she go? The woman was a trollop, nobody, a streetwalking whore and that's all she'd ever amount to in life. Martha, on the other hand, would be married to Jon and take half, if not all, his business in Tampa. He just didn't realize it yet. She had so many plans to execute and so far, everything was going her way.

"Until tomorrow then, Claire Bear."

"All right Marty." Claire stood up to walk her friend to the door, smiling in excitement at the thought of seeing her son. "I'll see you tomorrow, honey. And don't be wearing him out. I'd like to see him awake." She winked again, seeing Martha flush and swallowed down the urge to beat the hell out her former best friend. Once Martha was out the door, Claire took her time closing it, leaning back against it.

What the hell was she going to do?

* * *

Roy's head snapped to the side when his cell phone rang, the same phone he'd had for years and picked it up to look at the caller ID. It was an Ohio area code. He didn't think twice about it, glancing over at his sleeping niece on the couch with her head in Betty's lap and flipped it open, putting it to his ear. Cheria had cried herself to sleep and Joe was currently at the shop closing it up until they could find its owner. That and he also had to console his emotionally charged pregnant fiancée.

"What?" He grunted, not in the mood for a polite greeting and stepped outside to give his niece some quiet time.

"Roy?" Claire hadn't seen, spoken or really thought of Roy or Betty Ferguson in all this time and she wasn't surprised when he demanded to know who was calling. "This is Claire Good." She said after a moment, pretty sure he hung up with the silence that ensued from his end. "You folks lose my boy?"

She wasn't entirely sure what was going on in Tampa, but had a feeling it was a giant mess and wanted to make sure she and Roy were on the same page. Feeling his jaw tick, Roy knew better than to blow up at Claire right now because she could've been the one to kidnap her own son. The sick bitch.

"Didn't lose him, Claire." Roy cleared his throat, keeping his temper in check and popped open a much needed beer. "He was taken. You got any info on his whereabouts, we'd love to hear' em." If she could be sarcastic, so could he.

Roy didn't like her for good reason, but Claire wasn't one to really tolerate most people anyway. Especially do-gooding folks with their holier than thou... she had to take a deep breath. These people had helped Jon before, they would do it again. Cheria had to know Jon was missing by now, right?

"I know he's... local." She said quietly, disappearing into her bedroom just in case anyone decided to snoop around her thin front door. "I'll know whereabouts exactly tomorrow. He's... not in a good place, Roy."

Shutting his eyes, Roy was afraid of hearing that because he suspected Jon couldn't be in a good place, especially in Cincinnati. "Who took him, Claire?" Glancing in the screen door, Roy saw his wife coming his way and scrubbed a hand over his face. Either Cheria had woken up or Betty managed to escape from the couch long enough to check on him.

"Yes…Roy, I-I had nothing to do with this…"

"Then tell us who has him, Claire." He held his hand up when Betty's eyes shot open at the mention of Jonathan Good's biological mother's name. "Please."

"Marty – Martha, I mean. She claims they were together in Tampa and came up here so he'd make amends with me. I don't believe it for a second. She can't bullshit a bullshitter. He…He needs help, Roy…" Claire swallowed down tears, not having a right to let a single one slide down her cheek, but they did anyway, pouring like two rapid streams.

"On my way and we're bringin' backup. You find out the location and we'll take care of the rest, understood?"

"Don't you let her or anyone else know you're coming." Claire ordered, after affirming she understood. "I don't believe for one second she did this alone. Jon's just too big a man." She could see that, even from that tiny disturbing picture Martha showed her earlier. "And we all know there ain't a shortage of hoodlums around this place who wouldn't help her out for cash or sex."

The moment she heard Claire's name, Betty's stomach hit her knees and she swallowed hard. If Claire was calling... she prayed that Jon was not in Ohio, knowing nothing good would come of it.

"Stick with the plan of meetin' up with her. Tell her you'll get a ride there and, when we show up, she'll be in for a hell of a surprise." Then Roy thought about it, tapping his chin in thought. "Just find out the damn address and location where he's at. That's what we need to know. Do what you gotta do to find out and then we'll be on our way. I'm bringin' Jon's best friends Joseph, Sami, myself and Cheria." Leaving her behind wasn't an option, even though Betty would be against her going. "They are big boys and whoever has helped this evil bitch will go down with her. I promise you that."

"God I hope so, Roy." Claire said sincerely, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard a knock at her door, glancing at the time. Had it been an hour already? "I'll let you know when I find out, as soon as I can." She said before hanging up, knowing they would probably be leaving shortly, it wasn't exactly a short drive.

"You are not taking Cheria to that hellhole, Roy." He had been right, Betty wasn't copasetic with Cheria going. "Whatever is going on down there, she doesn't need to see it."

"She won't stay behind, knowing Jon is in jeopardy, honeybee." Roy didn't want Cheria to go either, but she was a grown woman now capable of making her own decisions.

Betty's mind raced, trying to think of a way to keep Cheria in Tampa instead of going with to rescue Jon. "I'll think of something…"

"I'm going." Cheria overheard their conversation, standing near the screen door and had gotten up as soon as Aunt Betty moved. "Don't you dare think about leaving me behind because I'll go anyway. Jon is in trouble and I have to save him."

"Dear, enough people are going and are more than capable of doing it…" Betty tried reasoning with her niece, frowning at the steadfast expression Cheria had. "Please don't go with them. It's too dangerous."

"I know you're worried about me, Aunt Betty, but I'll be fine with Uncle Roy, Joe and Sami there protecting me. And I think it's time for a heart-to-heart with the woman who ripped me away from my biological family 18 years ago. I'm going and you won't stop me."

"Sweetheart, please... Martha is... she's insane!"

There was no two ways about it. Everything that woman had done screamed insanity. Who raped a 12 year old boy? Who kidnapped and claimed another woman's child as her own? And didn't even keep the baby? The fact Betty and Martha were actually related, genuinely related, was such a source of shame to Betty.

"And you can't expect those boys to protect you. We don't even know what they'll be walking into, honey. They got to get Jon out; that's got to be their goal, not looking after you."

"Fine, don't look after me then. I'm not as weak as you think I am. That woman took everything – EVERYTHING – from me and, by god, I won't – I REFUSE – to let her have the love of my life! I won't let her get away with what she's done to him! I will be there, whether I drive with you, Joe and Sami, or go alone, when she's brought down for what she's done to all of us." Cheria wasn't backing down, trembling at all the despicable things Martha Singleton had done, huge tears sliding down her cheeks. "I have to be there for him. I need him to know I don't care what happened. I love him. Our fight was stupid and I was stupid for lying to him! He has to know that, do you understand? HE HAS TO!"

"Cheria..." Betty pulled her niece into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Child, he already knows that. Jon loves you, don't you ever doubt that. He does and he knows you love him. But you can't make this about yourself honey or about your guilt. This is going to be a messy situation and the only goal should be getting Jon out safely and back home." She released Cheria to turn to her husband. "You hear me, Roy? You get that boy out of that devil woman's grasp and to safety BEFORE you take her, and whoever is helping her, down."

Betty was the sweetest woman ever, but... every woman, no matter how sweet and good, had a side that would emerge if her babies or people she loved were threatened. That side would flay a man raw with its fingernails and eat the skin. He coughed, glancing at Cheria. If only to give Betty peace of mind, he would agree to whatever she wanted, whether or not he followed through was an entirely different story.

"Of course, honeybee."

Breaking away from Aunt Betty, Cheria shook her head and backed away shakily, already knowing the route to Cincinnati. She had it memorized from the road trip with Monique and had GPS on top of it. "If you won't let me go willingly, then I'll go alone."

Bolting away from them to her Malibu, Cheria hopped inside and fired it up before speeding away, hearing her Uncle Roy roaring after her to stop. She couldn't. Jon was in danger and in the clutches of a woman she used to call mother. A woman who had stolen her identity, changed it and kept her from her blood family her entire life. Enough was enough. Martha Singleton would not ruin anymore lives and, if Cheria had to stop her alone, she would find a way to do it.

"Hold on Jon, I'm on my way, baby."

"Roy! If she just shows up in that neighborhood, Martha is going to know Claire talked to someone!" Betty was pretty sure she was going to have a heart attack, lowering herself into a patio chair. "And if Martha isn't alone-"

"Son of a bitch, I'll get the boys." Roy kneeled down in front of her. "You going to be okay, honeybee?" He asked, eyeing his wife concernedly. "I'll get Monique over here to sit with you, all right?"

Betty just nodded, closing her eyes and willed herself not to panic.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

"SHE WHAT?!"

"Jesus Christ, what the hell is she thinking running off like that?!" Samuel Johnston demanded, most referring to him as simply Sami, planting his hands on his hips.

"We told her she couldn't go to Cincinnati to rescue Jon. We don't have time to waste either, boys. Time is not on our side." As it was, Roy would have to speed past 90 to catch up to Cheria or bypass her, already knowing somewhat of a shortcut and hoped she didn't take that route. "The first one who finds her once we get there, keep her contained."

"She'll be lucky if I don't beat her ass for pulling this shit."

"Make that two ass beatings."

"Enough talk, let's go."

Joe loved Cheria like a sister, but she did not think rationally. He was beginning to learn that most women didn't and it was driving him slowly but surely insane. Monique texted to let him know she was staying with Betty, feeling relieved she hadn't decided to join this venture. He would have tied her down, point blank refusing to let his woman in danger or let her put herself into stupid situations.

"She'll calm down. She'll clear her head and realize she can't go charging in there..."

"You hope."

* * *

"Oh lover... did you miss me?" Martha cooed, waving Curtis off as she slipped into Jon's lovely little room. "Oh Curtis, he's filthy! I thought you were going to clean him up for me?" That was disgusting; she could not believe her Jonny had been left like this. "You get him cleaned up, you hear me? And I... I will go..." She ran a finger down Curtis's chest, inwardly smirking. Teenage boys were so easily manipulated. "Get comfortable for you..."

Curtis's eyes glowed with want and need for Martha, his dinky dick already jumping in his pants. Yes, he wasn't well-endowed compared to some men, like Jonathan Good, but he still could get it done in the bedroom. Maybe Curtis got a little carried away with torturing him, but honestly Jon deserved it after stealing Cheria away from him. Taking a bucket of ice cold water, Curtis dumped it all over Jon and enjoyed hearing his roar of both pain and surprise, dropping it before wiping the rest of the vomit away that dried on his skin.

"You're lucky she likes you or else I would leave you just like this." He hissed, wiping more bile off of Jon's body he forced out of the man due to choking him with water. "There, that's good enough."

Storming out, Curtis locked the door behind him and went to receive his reward from Martha.

* * *

It was well into the early morning hours the following day, 5 AM to be exact. Cheria looked up at the apartment building and swallowed hard, knowing being in this part of the Cincinnati neighborhood without daylight was dangerous. She had a mission though and refused to let anyone stop her, not even her own family. With a switchblade in hand, Cheria stepped out of the car and ran up the stairs to Claire's apartment as fast as she could, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt to try concealing her identity. She banged louder when nobody answered at first and continued until the door ripped open 5 minutes later, shocked pale blues meeting determined emerald.

"Hello again, Claire."

"Where the hell is Roy?" Claire hissed, all but dragging Cheria into the apartment, closing and locking the door behind them.

She only hoped no one had seen Cheria come in. A good looking girl like Cheria, in this neighborhood, would be remembered and no doubt harassed. Of course it was the crack of dawn too, so most likely nobody was up just yet. Most had probably only gone to bed an hour or so ago. Her eyes dropped to the switchblade in Cheria's hand, cocking an eyebrow.

"Put that thing away before you hurt yourself, doll."

"No." Then Cheria flipped it open and pressed it right to Claire's throat, backing the older woman against the nearest wall, her upper lip curling in a snarl. "I know you talked to Uncle Roy and you know where Jon is. Tell me right now or so help me god, I'll slit you wide open." She threatened in a deadly voice, the blade 4 inches long and freshly sharpened. Cheria wasn't taking chances coming to this town or dealing with the likes of Jon's mother again. "I'll give you 30 seconds, because I'm in a giving mood and then I will kill you if you don't tell me where he is."

She would do anything at this point, even risk her own life, to save Jon. Cheria was obviously not a fighter, holding the knife steady yet wrong nevertheless. Claire almost felt amused and scared, because a knife in the hand of an idiot was just as dangerous as if it were in the hand of a proper killer.

"You're really not that bright, are you?" Claire asked almost sympathetically, shaking her head. When Cheria blinked at her, she slapped the young woman's wrist as hard as she could, the switchblade skidding across the mangled carpeted floor. "You little idiot! Why the hell didn't you wait for Roy?" She demanded, tempted to slap Cheria again. "Put that damn thing away, you fool, before you do something stupid! I don't KNOW where Jon is yet and if anyone seen you coming in and it gets back to Martha, I WON'T know where he's at! Please, tell me you did not come here alone." Pinching the bridge of her nose, maybe Claire should let Cheria slit her throat. Obviously, Cheria loved Jon, but she was definitely young because only young fools in love rushed in without thinking.

"No, she didn't." Roy stated from behind, walking through the door just in time to see the switchblade knocked out of his niece's hand and shook his head. "Cheri…"

"Don't!" Cheria ordered, holding her hand up and shook her head, ripping the hood off to reveal frazzled silver hair and crazed emerald eyes stared straight ahead. "I'm not staying here. I'm not going anywhere without Jon and none of you will force me. If you're going in to save him, I'm going with you."

Joe expected this and pinched the bridge of his nose, stepping forward to knock her out with a quick nerve tweak to the neck, but Roy stopped him. "Roy…"

"Please." She whispered, slowly turning around to lock pleading tear-filled eyes on Uncle Roy and didn't stop them cascading down her cheeks. "I love him. Please don't leave me behind."

Roy heaved a sigh, remembering what he'd promised Betty, but sometimes promises had to be broken. "Alright." He reluctantly agreed, pulling Cheria into his arms and hugged her tightly, feeling her face bury in his chest. "You win, girl. You can go with us."

Sami didn't know if it was insanity on Roy's part or the fact Cheria knew what to do and say to pull at his heartstrings, but they definitely had their hands full now.

"She's a damn idiot, Roy." Claire said flatly, not surprised when he didn't say a word. He was mentally echoing that sentiment. "I don't know where Jon is. I won't know until this afternoon." Her pale blues took in the men, all fairly large.

"You stay here with us Cheri, until we know something. You want to go with us then don't go running off on us anymore, understand?" Roy compromised gently but firmly, pretty sure if she tried taking off again, there would be no stopping Joe from knocking her out.

"I promise, I won't." Cheria whispered, feeling drained from the drive and all the worrying she'd done over Jon. All she wanted to do was find him and wrap him in her arms, possibly glue herself to him for the rest of her life.

"We've got a while to wait this out, so we need to try getting some sleep." Joe rumbled, looking around the grungy apartment and could tell Cheria was about to keel over from exhaustion. "Miss Good…"

"Just Claire, Junior."

Joe bit his tongue. "Claire, do you have anywhere we can crash until it's time to leave?"

"We need food too."

Roy HIGHLY doubted Claire had anything here besides booze and cigarettes, having a feeling one of them would have to go out and get something to eat for everyone. "Sami, take the car. Nobody knows you around this area. Just go to McDonald's, grab us all something to eat and get back here quickly."

Cheria was too tired to be picky on where to sleep and opted for the couch, curling up on half of it. Claire had cigarettes, booze, bottled water, coffee and two TV dinners that were suffering serious freezer burns. She tended to eat at the shelters, or when her clients felt like 'treating' her. Prioritizing smokes and alcohol first, food came second. However, after spotting Cheria lying on her disgusting couch, Claire felt... almost horrible. She hadn't ever been the best at housekeeping, but after Jon had been taken away, even those abilities seemed to go down the drain.

"I'll get her a blanket."

"When is that devil bitch supposed to get a hold of you?"

"This afternoon, and it's only 5:30 in the morning. You all best get comfortable."

* * *

"Mmm I can never get enough riding this dick, Jonny boy…" Martha panted, bouncing on and off his cock and didn't care he responded against his will.

As long as the Viagra pill she gave him kept working its magic, Martha would continue riding him until he exploded inside of her. No condom was needed since she'd been halfway through menopause, but her sexual desire hadn't ceased. Just for added effect and reassurance, Martha popped a Viagra too. Sweat glistening all over her body, Martha tired of the cowgirl position and slid off of him long enough to lower her backside on top of his still throbbing dick. She cried out when Jon stretched the tight hole and proceeded to start working her body on and off of him again, enjoying taking it up the ass literally.

"Cum for me, all inside of me, Jonny!"

Curtis felt jealous while listening to Martha and Jon go at it again, knowing she was doing all of the work. Soon, Jon would be out of his life forever and Cheria would have no choice except to be with him. Meanwhile, Jon was in hell. He had always been told hell was lakes of fire and a bunch of brimstone. No, that was wrong. At this point, he would take the Southpark version of hell with Satan shoving pineapples up his keister over this. He was being... raped by the same evil whore that violated him when he was 12. When Martha had learned his dick wouldn't rise and harden the natural way, she forcefully drugged him. Jon hated his traitorous body for this. Finishing an hour later, Martha screeched out her release and didn't care who heard at this point, making sure it was Jon's name coming out of her mouth. She finally relinquished Jon's dick and stood up, gripping his face tightly in her hand. He was too exhausted and weakened to fight her off, shoving her tongue in his mouth to make him taste her.

"Such a good boy you are." Martha tapped his cheek none too gently after pulling away and sauntered over to pull her clothes back on. "Get some sleep, you have a visitor coming today I know you're MOST eager to see."

Blowing him a kiss on her way out, Martha headed into her own room without Curtis, leaving him sleeping on the couch to grab some shuteye. Jon lay there, eyes closed, tears blending in with the sweat running down the side of his face. If this was what his life was destined to be like, he wanted to commit suicide.

"Cheria..." He managed to rasp, voice cracking.

* * *

"How the hell are you related to Jon?"

Claire was not thrilled she had been up all day, even if she were surrounded by gorgeous young men. These bucks obviously had no use for a washed-up, well-used old hag like her and she didn't blame them. She and Roy had managed stilted conversation throughout the day, not that they had much in common. Keeping the coffee pot full, it was the one clean thing she could actually offer.

"Believe it or not, sweets, he came out of..." She gestured below the belt.

"I can see it." Sami said after a moment, trying not to grin. He noticed Claire had a very dry sense of humor, something Jon liked to occasionally display.

"I noticed it when I first met you." Cheria was up with a cup of coffee in hand and nibbled on her bagel, the dark circles somewhat gone under her eyes. She'd slept a full 8 hours, surprisingly, and now everyone was on pins and needles waiting for Martha's phone call. "They have the same eyes…and he has her nose and ears." She cracked a hesitant smile over at the woman who gave birth to the love of her life and sipped more coffee.

Claire was shocked by the detail Cheria gave regarding her and Jon's similarities, lowering her eyes at the thought of her baby boy in the clutches of Martha. "Yeah…" She didn't know what else to say to the young girl.

"Now that you mention it…"

Their heads all snapped to the ringing cell phone of Claire's, each sucking in sharp breaths and waiting. Just because she did not trust Cheria or any of them, except Roy, to keep a cool head and not do anything stupid, Claire took her phone back to her bedroom. She was not surprised at all when Roy came with her, nodding at him as they stepped in, closing the door behind them.

"Hello?"

"Claire Bear!"

"Marty, and here I thought you'd forgotten all about me."

"No, Jon and I just got... wrapped up… you know how it goes."

"I sure do." Claire was not amused, not that Martha could tell that.

Martha didn't want to spend a lot of time on the phone, sliding her hand up the glistening chest of Jon while once again riding him like a champion stallion. "Unf, so yeah I'll pick you up in an hour or so…"

She didn't bother hiding the moan, trying not to let Claire know she was currently screwing her baby boy while on the phone. It didn't matter. Claire wouldn't do anything about it, just like she didn't back when Jonny was 12 years old and at her mercy.

"That fine with you?"

"That's fine Marty, I'll be waiting." Claire said, unable to block out what she was hearing.

She was hearing that... disgusting, evil cunt toad molesting her son! This woman was supposed to be her best friend and she was raping Jon AGAIN! Claire hung up and had to drop the phone before she threw it, shaking from head to toe.

"She'll be here in an hour or so. You going to be able to tail us? Without getting caught?"

"That shouldn't be a problem. Claire, did she say anything about Jon? About how he is?"

Claire buried her face in her hands, openly weeping now. "How do you think he is, Roy?!"


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Cheria felt her heart drop in her stomach at the woman's shriek and immediately went to her side, knowing they had to keep it together for Jon's sake. "We'll get him back." Cupping Claire's face, Cheria opened her mouth to say something and instead was dragged to the back of the apartment, the bedroom door slamming shut behind them.

"Should we – uh – follow?" Joe asked, not wanting to leave Cheria alone with the woman – if she could even be called that – longer than necessary.

"She'll be fine. Cheria can handle her if things get out of hand."

Roy figured Claire wanted to talk to his niece privately and decided to give them space, strategizing how best to follow Martha. A few minutes later, Claire and Cheria walked back out with Claire looking a lot calmer and Cheria determined to save Jon. The hour ticked by slowly and, before they knew it, Cheria, Roy, Joe and Sami were following Martha and Claire toward the destination Jon was being held captive. Claire was not at all surprised Martha didn't realize they were being followed. If not for the fact she was in on the situation, she wouldn't have realized it either. Roy was doing a good job and Claire almost felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe Jon would be all right... maybe.

At the very least, Martha was going down.

"Jon's excited to see you, or he will be. We barely had time to clean up, you know how it goes." Martha gabbed, really hoping Curtis had done as he was told and at least cleaned and dressed Jon.

20 minutes outside of Cincinnati, Martha finally turned down a dirt road path and Roy pulled over on the side of the road, making Cheria look at him with wide eyes. "What are you doing? You'll lose her…"

"No I won't. We're out in the middle of nowhere and, chances are, there's only one house, shack or something with a roof out here. We have to go on foot from here on out. Are you sure you don't want to stay here, Cheri?" Roy gave her one final opportunity to pull back and sighed when she merely slid out of the vehicle, Joe and Sami doing the same from the backseat. "Alright boys, you know the plan right?"

"Take down any assholes helping Martha and try to get Jon outta there as soon as possible."

Joe planned on breaking faces as well, clenching his fist tightly.

"Alright, let's go!"

* * *

"JONNY, I'M HOME!"

Jon wanted to tell her to go fuck herself right back to the pool of scum she had crawled out of. However, while his mind was fairly his own, his body definitely was not. Curtis had drugged him up pretty good, mostly because even Martha wasn't about to leave his ass chained down to a bed during a visit with whoever she wanted him to see. He was dressed, in the same clothing she had nabbed him in and sort of clean, thanks to a hose. Jon was propped up on a scraggly little couch, unable to move too much without toppling. His eyes slowly strayed to the door when she walked in, followed by... his egg donor. Claire froze to stare at her son. He wasn't the boy she remembered and had grown up into a man. The pain she saw in those blue eyes broke her heart all over again. Curtis stood up from the couch instantly, squaring his shoulders at the sight of the woman with Martha and quirked a brow.

"Who the hell is this?" He demanded, blinking when Martha promptly slapped him across the face.

"Show a little respect, you bastard!" Martha hissed angrily, wrapping a tight arm around Claire's shoulders and the smile instantly returned to her face. "This is my best friend and Jonny boy's mother."

"I-I didn't know…" Curtis couldn't believe he'd just been slapped like a little bitch in front of these older women, feeling like he was in trouble suddenly. "Sorry." He mumbled, sitting back down on the couch and Martha shoved him away from Jon, placing Claire beside her son.

"Go outside and take a breather. They need to have a heart-to-heart."

"Do you even need me around anymore or…?"

"OUT!"

Curtis scampered out the door and ran right into the cavalry, dark eyes shooting open. "Oh shit."

"Oh shit is right, Hussey."

Joe punched him right in the forehead, watching impassively as the idiot teenager did a complete whirl around before punching him again. This time, Curtis went down and stayed down. Snorting, Joe stepped over the body, cracking his knuckles. Why was he not surprised that Hussey would be involved in this? He spared a glance back at Cheria, who was staring holes through the unconscious Curtis. Cheria stomped on her ex-boyfriend's face for good measure with her black steel toed boots, crushing his nose. Then her eyes snapped to the front door Curtis walked out of, seeing it was somewhat cracked open and looked over at her Uncle Roy.

"What now?"

Roy knew Claire's wellbeing was on the line along with Jon's, so the plan had to be flawless. "Joe, go to the back with Sami. Cheria, you're staying with me. Whoever gets to him first, don't hesitate to act. Do whatever necessary to get him away from Martha and then…we'll call the police."

"Understood." Joe rumbled, heading to the back of the old shack along with Sami, knowing they were minutes away from rescuing their friend.

"Oh baby..." Claire whispered, leaning into Jon and studied his stoic face. His eyes... he was afraid. Her son, a fully grown man, was terrified and she knew why. "It'll be okay."

"What was that Claire Bear?"

"He looks tired, Marty. You wearing my boy out?"

Her eyes never left Jon's, trying to tell him without actually speaking that everything would be all right. Martha went on to flap her gums, talking about her and Jon's new 'life' together, about the sex they had, about... Claire was trying not to pay too much attention. At the same time, she had to offer phony input. Her stare never left Jon though and she tensed when she heard an old floorboard creak. She had no idea what Martha was capable of, but she wouldn't put anything past this insane broad. If she could kidnap and rape a man, she could kill.

"Goddamn that Curtis, I told that little bastard..." Martha pushed herself out of her chair, sighing. "Boys these days, Claire Bear, just don't know their place." She was going to maim Curtis, having told him to wait outside and did he listen? No, he did not. "I'll just go remind him..."

Joe had made the floorboard creak with his heavy weight, ducking in the nearest closest sandwiched against Sami. Both of them held their breath hearing Martha stomp down the hallway past the closet. He managed to pull his cell phone out and sent Roy a text, letting him know the diversion was very short and to make a move now.

"Dude, my foot." Sami hissed quietly, swallowing hard since Joe was a huge man and he was currently crushing Sami's shoe covered foot. "Joe…"

"Shut the fuck up before we get caught."

"Why don't you-?" The closet door was suddenly ripped open as both Joe and Sami toppled out of it, making Martha shriek in shock and anger.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?"

"Go, Cheria! NOW!"

Cheria rushed inside the house through the front door, the smell of sweat and raunchy sex hitting her in the face. Maybe even blood and something else foul. Claire was on her feet with a gun drawn and Cheria pulled her own out, remembering the meeting between her and Claire prior to leaving the apartment. Cheria noted the horrible condition Jon was in and felt the anger erupt inside of her, pulling the trigger without hesitation when Martha was shoved by Joe and Sami to stand in the middle of the living room. Martha had been shoved right into that bullet, piercing her in the chest and she dropped, clutching at the wound, blood spilling through her thin wrinkled fingers. She could only gape up at Cheria, acidic eyes finally turning to Claire, her best friend.

"Claire Bear, h-help..."

Claire took the gun from Cheria's shaking hands, making sure she got her prints all over it, not about to let anything come back onto this brave young woman who loved her son enough to kill for him. "I'll help you, Martha. Help you go straight back to hell!" She growled, voice dropping to a rasp similar to Jon's before pulling the trigger again.

"Holy... fuck..."

"Jon? Hey, Jon!" Sami was trying to ignore what he had just witnessed, shaking Jon who was not moving, though his eyes were all over the place. "Roy?!"

"He's drugged. He'll be alright." Roy assured the younger man, his eyes never leaving his niece and couldn't believe she just blew Martha away with a single shot. Cheria had no idea how to shoot a gun, not that he knew anyway. "We gotta get out of here."

"It's alright now, Cheria. It's alright, girl. You can go to my son now." Claire crooned, holding onto the gun and knew Cheria was in shock from killing the evil woman who destroyed her and Jon's lives.

At the mention of Jon, Cheria snapped out of her daze and immediately rushed over to him, tears coursing freely down her cheeks now. "Baby, I'm here." She took his hand and kissed it repeatedly, holding it against her heart and could see he was out of it, but alert enough not to pass out. "I'm here, Jon. I'm never leaving your side again, I promise." With Joe and Sami's help, they carried Jon out of the beaten down shack and Roy took the gun from Claire to plant it on Curtis.

"You'll never hurt my niece again, boy."

Then Roy proceeded to inject 3 bullets right in Curtis's chest and one in his forehead, planting the gun on Martha getting only her prints on it. When the authorities arrived, it would look like they had a love scuffle and go down as a double homicide. Joe and Sami came back in to help remove traces that Jon had ever been there, including letting Roy use some kind of SD card with a program on it to wipe anything mentioning Jon - pictures included or Cheria - from both Martha and Curtis's cell phones. Joe was not a happy camper when they discovered what had been Jon's room, the stench of sex and other bodily fluids the strongest. He discovered the schematics of rape and that it happened to guys, but... his buddy being strapped here and... He couldn't wrap his mind around it. By the time they were done, nothing linking Jon to this place would remain, not even DNA.

"Let's rinse this bitch."

"What about... the dead woman?" Sami wasn't an idiot and knew what had gone down here. "What if she's... you know..." He gestured to his lower region. "Uh... filled up?"

"Martha was a smoker." Claire rasped from the door, figuring Cheria and Jon deserved a moment, even if Jon couldn't exactly say or do anything right now. "If this place went up in flames, nobody would be surprised."

Jon closed his eyes as Cheria cradled him against her, feeling safe for the first time in what seemed like ages.

Watching the old shack go up in flames, Cheria felt the biggest weight lift from her shoulders while holding Jon. He was staring straight ahead with his head lulled against her shoulder and she kept stroking his arm, trying to do what she could to prove she was really there for him. Joe and Sami gave her the rundown on what they found in the shack and Cheria suddenly wished she wouldn't have killed Martha so quickly, wanting the evil cunt to suffer for raping her boyfriend just like she had when he was 12. Joe sat in the back with them and Claire while Sami took the front seat, Roy pulling away from the burning house. Screw cleaning everything, they simply burned it to the ground and got rid of any evidence Jon had been there. It was a long drive back to Tampa and Cheria was not surprised when Jon passed out against her, his breathing even. They dropped Claire off at her place prior to heading on the road home and Cheria thanked her for helping them find Jon, promising to stick by his side and help him through the torment Martha inflicted on him.

Since he couldn't really do much besides sit there, Jon let his eyes close and drift into a half-sleep against her. All this time while he had been trapped, his mind had gone back and forth between what was happening to him and Cheria. Honestly, he thought she would assume he had left her, especially given the way he had blown up. He had punched a hole in a cabinet, displaying he could be violent or maybe she had left him. Jon had thought about that fight; it was so stupid in retrospect and he loved her more than anything in his life. Now... now he was a broken man and she was definitely too good for the likes of him.

They would get through this, no matter what Cheria had to do. Therapy sessions would definitely commence if Jon wanted them. With rape victims, no matter the gender of the person, it was traumatizing and took a long time for them to get over. Cheria would have to be patient and she would, having fought every step of the way to save him from Martha. He was back with her safe and sound. Normally, it was the woman being saved by the man, but the roles had reversed this time around and it was a woman saving a man from a psycho dead bitch. Cheria sincerely hoped Martha was burning in all 8 circles of hell for everything she did and all the lives she ruined.

"I love you, Jon." She whispered, not letting him go for a second and shut her eyes to stop tears from falling.

It was her turn to be strong for him.

When Jon had been raped as a boy, he had been forced to go to therapy. He had been 12 and neither Betty nor Roy had any idea how to help him cope other than just loving and being there for him. As a grown man and with a stubborn streak, she highly doubted he would be overly keen on the idea of going back into therapy. Jon would need time, though Betty remembered how he'd gone through the entire mood spectrum after the last time. She felt for her niece; Cheria would have her hands full. She had asked Roy to bring them all to their house, highly doubting Jon would want to return to that apartment anytime soon. Also, he would feel safer surrounded by people who loved him.

Or lash out at them all.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

The drugs were out of Jon's system for the most part, but he was far from alright and it was to be expected after what he suffered through. Joe assured him the shop was fine and he would run it until Jon was able to return to work. Cheria kept her distance from him, even though it killed her because all she wanted to do was cling to him for dear life and never let go. She couldn't though. Aunt Betty had sat her down and explained everything that happened when they took Jon away from Cincinnati and brought him to Tampa at age 12. So far, it'd been a week since they arrived back home. Jon and Cheria still stayed with Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy, both telling them to stay as long as they wanted. Cheria slowly opened her eyes, feeling like she was being watched and looked up at Jon staring back at her.

"Hi." Jon greeted with a slight smile, watching as she woke up a bit more.

He had been up with the sun, just watching her. Memorizing her beautiful face and how innocent she looked when she was asleep. Cheria was being distant with him, giving him plenty of space and, in turn, Jon reciprocated the notion. He coped with his mood swings, trying his best not to take anything out on anyone. Jon pushed past being angry enough to think about Cheria and what she had done to Martha, waiting for the guilt to come. Martha had been an evil bitch, but taking someone's life was still nothing to brush off.

"Hi back." Cheria replied softly, slowly pushing herself up on the bed and returned the smile, every part of her body aching to touch any part of him.

He was really here in front of her. Jon hadn't run off on her because of her deception. He'd been kidnapped and Cheria never once believed he'd take off without an explanation. Jon was all man and had the biggest heart of anyone she'd met in her life.

"How long you been up?" She asked, reaching for the bottled water on the nightstand and completely forgot she'd put Jon's t-shirt on the previous night. It was something she took from the apartment when coming to Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy's right after their fight.

"Few hours."

Shrugging, Jon tossed his head to dislodge a curl off his forehead, his hair desperately needing a trim. Shifting from his side until he sat in front of her, his legs folded in a position Jon remembered a teacher calling 'crisscross applesauce'. It was amazing the random memories that flickered through his mind these days. He reached out to place a hand on her knee, frowning slightly. When had they become strangers?

"I've been waiting on you to wake up, Cher." She was cautious around him and he was working through some serious issues. "How're you?" Stupid question.

It was, but Cheria answered it nonetheless and scooted a little closer to him, chewing her bottom lip apprehensively. "I'm okay."

It was honest enough, though she did have a nightmare reminding her of what she did to Martha, taking her life. However, she didn't regret doing it either. Martha had to be stopped and wouldn't leave them alone until she got what she wanted. She had to be put down for good, there was no other way to stop her reign of terror. It was the only option to insure Jon's safety and she could never hurt anyone again.

"No, that's a lie and I'm done with the lying. That's what caused everything to happen because I was stupid and lied to you instead of just being honest." Taking his hand, Cheria laced their fingers together and looked up into his beautiful pale blues. "I love you, Jon. I made a huge mistake by lying to you and I swear to you, I'll never do it again. I was scared and jumped the gun when I found everything out; I needed answers. I should've explained myself better to you and I didn't. If I would've…"

She blamed herself for what happened to him and nobody in the world would convince her otherwise, not even him. Cheria thought that what had happened to him was because of her and the stupid lie... Jon felt love for her overwhelming him. It was an idiot concept, her thinking that, because Martha would have found a way regardless. In fact, Jon suddenly felt blessed they had taken a few days apart because, if Cheria had been there with him when Martha and Curtis came... He shoved that thought down, dragging her into his lap and burying his face in her soft silver hair.

"It wasn't your fault, Cher. It wasn't anybody's fault, but hers and Curtis's. And they're dead now."

Cheria did what she'd wanted for the past week and clung to him, burying her face in his chest while Jon stroked her hair, every part of her body relaxing. "Yes they are." She whispered and pulled back to look up at him, caressing his face with her hand feeling the slight stubble. His hair had definitely gotten a bit longer and needed trimmed, but she enjoyed the shagginess. "I don't regret what I did. Is that wrong? I mean, I…killed her and Uncle Roy killed Curtis. And I don't feel bad about it. I just feel relieved. Please tell me that's normal because either I'm slowly going insane or…I don't know. All I know is I love you and I would do anything to protect you. Now I'm having nightmares about it because I'm afraid Martha will somehow come back from the dead and take you away from me for good."

"I don't know if it's normal, Cher," Jon admitted softly, stroking her hair as she cried against him. "I wanted to kill them." He had wanted to kill Curtis for a while now actually. "And I'm not upset they're gone. Nobody is." Well, maybe Curtis and his family and friends, but... that wasn't his concern. Jon didn't care. "You did what you thought you had too, darlin', and feeling like you're going insane... that's probably normal too." Cupping her chin gently in his strong hand, Jon tilted her face up until he could brush his lips against hers. "I love you too and Martha is never coming back. Understand me? She can't hurt anyone anymore, ever."

It was the slightest brush of mouths against each other and Cheria couldn't remember the last time they kissed. She couldn't deepen it or anything, not wanting to push Jon too far too fast. Extracting herself from his lap, Cheria shifted to sitting in front of him on her knees and slid her hands up his muscular chest, taking her time to reacquaint with his body. He was still gorgeous as ever, toned abs and everything else that made Jon irresistible.

"I've missed you so much."

Cheria should've pulled away from him because it was too soon for them to jump back into this, wasn't it? Would it hurt their relationship or make them stronger? So many questions flew through her mind all the while stroking his chest repeatedly along with his solid shoulders.

"Please kiss me again…"

Wrapping his arms around her, Jon pulled her against him and kissed her, but that was as far as he could go. He wanted her, badly, but the fading marks around his wrists and ankles. Marks that were nearly gone yet every time he looked down, Jon saw them. Reminders of Martha and, the very last thing Jon wanted when he made love to his Cheria, was reminders of the nightmare he endured. Cheria felt the hesitation from Jon and knew kissing would be all they could do for the time being. She could only imagine what Martha and Curtis put him through, but now they were gone for good. Both were burning together in hell, where they belonged and the best part was Jon and Cheria were not related.

The blood test came back positive for Cheria and Charlotte, officially making them sisters. Charlotte decided to stay in town and started dating Sami the day after Jon was brought back to Tampa, both seeing a movie followed by a late dinner. So far, things were well between them and Charlotte had only great things to say about Sami, including how adorable his crazy black hair was.

"Mmm..." Breaking the kiss, Cheria rubbed her nose gently against Jon's before wrapping her arms around his neck, hugging him amorously. "Everything is gonna get better from here on out."

Well, it wasn't like it could get any worse, Jon thought, not unless Mr. Hussey decided to somehow blame Jon for Curtis's untimely demise. He just hoped that the connection between them, Martha and Curtis, wasn't found. Putting those two things together... the math would add up against them.

"Yeah Cher, it will." He murmured, wondering just how opposed to finding a new place to live she'd be. "Can we move?" Random and blurted, but... there it was.

"Really?"

Cheria pulled back to look in his pale blues, seeing how serious he was and stroked his face with her hands. There was no reason to deny him anything and, if that's what it took to get Jon back to his old self, she would do it. Honestly, they needed a bigger place anyway. The apartment held both good and bad memories for both of them, especially where their first major fight happened.

"I'll go anywhere you want, baby." Neither were eager to go back since they had stayed at Uncle Roy and Aunt Betty's for the past week. "We can start looking today, if you're ready. Cause I know I am."

Their first major fight, his drunken bender after the fact, him being kidnapped from there... yes, he was definitely ready to give the place up. "After breakfast." He rumbled, arching a brow when her stomach rumbled, his following suit.

Jon could smell coffee and bacon, knowing Betty was probably downstairs in the kitchen whipping up one of her delicious meals. Living here being fed like this was heaven right now. Considering he had been choked on water and near starved at the hands of his captors.

"Come on, Cher, let's go down there and eat." He smiled, leaning forward to kiss her again.

It'd been a week since light shined in Jon's eyes and Cheria had been scared he would never be the man she fell in love with again. She was wrong, thankfully. "Lead the way." Slipping from the bed, Cheria clasped her hand with Jon's and walked out of the bedroom downstairs to the kitchen, her stomach rumbling louder at the smell of cinnamon. "Oh man, I think she's making French toast…" It was Cheria's favorite breakfast food and they both froze, gaping at all the food set up on the table. Charlotte was there as well, smiling at her phone, no doubt texting Sami. "Hey Char." She left Jon's side long enough to hug her newfound biological sister and then sat down with him, their hands once again clasped under the table. "Geez Auntie, are you feeding a small army?"

"With the way Jon eats?" Betty retorted with a soft smile. "You bet I am." She dropped a kiss on his head, ruffling his curls affectionately. "You're looking like you're in a good mood this morning."

"I am." He grinned up at her.

"I have to go back to Montana." Charlotte announced, giggling at the look on Cheria's face. "Not to stay, but to pack up the stuff I want and wrap up some business. I put the house up for sale and it was snatched. I have to go sign the paperwork, get all my loose ends tied up and then, I am a Floridian. Is that right? Floridian?"

Jon was trying not to laugh.

Cheria felt her heart drop in the pit of her stomach and then lift right back up in the span of seconds, the biggest smile flitting across her face. "Yes, you are indeed a Floridian."

She was glad Jon was in a good mood, but it could change in the blink of an eye if something triggered inside of him. It was to be expected. Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy said he was handling what happened extremely well and it was only a matter of time before Jon completely snapped about it. Maybe that was one of the reasons he wanted to move out of the apartment and into a fresh place they could both call home. Once everyone was seated and had their plates full, Cheria gently tapped the glass with her spoon to gain everyone's attention.

"So, Jon and I have decided we'll be looking for a new place to live starting today."

"You know, there's that house at the end of the street for sale on a land contract. You remember the Wilson's? That 3 bedroom house? It's not overly big, but it's definitely a starter." And... It was just down the road from them, which in Betty's mind, was a big plus. "It even has a large backyard."

Jon was totally lost. A house? On a land contract? He eyeballed Cheria, shrugging when she gave him a questioning look in return. "We could look if you want."

He honestly had no idea where to start. Jon had lived in apartments all his adult life; the only time he'd been in a house was when he had lived here. Charlotte sipped her coffee, wondering if they would actually want to live that close to Betty and Roy. Lovely generous people, but overprotective as hell.

"No harm in checking it out. If it's too expensive though…"

"You can always negotiate." Betty cut her niece off with a smile, giving her another helping of bacon. "Roy and I could talk to them for you, if you want."

"Betty darlin'…" Roy placed a hand on his wife's and knew how much she enjoyed having both Cheria and Jon under their roof, smiling softly. "Let them find their own place."

"But…"

"Don't worry, Auntie. We'll find the perfect place and it won't be far away from you guys. We're not leaving Tampa. Jon has too much invested here and so do I. And that house doesn't sound too bad. If it's 3 bedrooms, maybe Charlotte can stay with us until she gets on her feet out here too." Cheria smiled up at Jon, hoping he didn't mind and squeezed his hand gently.

"Actually, I found a place already and I'm happy with it. I plan on buying it with the money I get from selling the house in Montana."

"Oh okay."

Charlotte reached across the table to take Cheria's hand, squeezing gently. She hadn't missed the way Cheria's face fell. "I appreciate it, sweetie, I really do. But I've been living with other people or in a hotel since I got here and you and Jon don't need me taking up your space." Right now, they needed time to get back to the way things were and Charlotte didn't see that happening if she was in the background, literally, living with them. "Besides, the place I've been eyeballing is only a few blocks from here actually." It was a tiny cottage and beautiful, a lot different from what she was used to.

Jon kept himself busy with his food, wondering if Cheria wanted Charlotte there because they had just discovered each other again or because she didn't want to be alone with him.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

After breakfast, Jon excused himself to step outside for a cigarette and Cheria followed him, wanting to make sure he was alright. She took his hand, feeling how tense he was and didn't let go because being distant wasn't the answer for either of them. If she wanted to be with Jon, Cheria had to fight for him and she would with every breath in her body and beat of her heart – a heart he fully had.

"I'm sorry about what I said in there. I should've discussed it with you first before inviting other people to move in with us. I was just trying to be nice because she's new to the area and I didn't think she'd find a place so quickly." Cheria explained, watching Jon stand there instead of turning to face her and it was unnerving. "Please look at me, Jon."

It made sense and the logical part of his mind knew this. It was the emotional side that was bothering him, putting doubt where there should be none. Jon exhaled through his nose, finally looking down at her, though he didn't shift to turn his body towards her. They had been living with other people since coming back to Tampa, always surrounded. He knew everyone was waiting on his explosion. It would eventually spark. Maybe they had convinced her to be scared of him.

"Are you sure you want to be alone with me, Cheria?" He asked in a low raspy voice. "I'm damaged goods, you know that, right?" Jon cocked his head to the side, looking back out into the yard thoughtfully.

Probably too damaged for someone like her.

"Of course I do. Jon, I love you. And I don't care how long it takes or what I have to do, I WILL make you see you are far from damaged goods." Cheria reached up and cupped his face, forcing him to look at her with tears shining in her eyes. "When you were missing, all I kept thinking was I had to find you. I had to protect you because I knew you weren't the type of asshole that picked up and left without an explanation. You are strong and I know what happened to you was awful. But I won't let it beat you." Placing his hand against her chest to rest over her heart, Cheria never once broke eye contact with him. "This is yours. It's always been and it always will be, even if we are apart. Even if you try to push me away and tell me to find someone better, someone not damaged. There's NOBODY else I want and need in my life more than you. And if I have to tell you that every single day for the rest of our lives until it's beaten into that thick stubborn skull of yours, I will. But don't you ever tell me you're damaged goods because that's not even close to the truth. You can explode, you can throw a fit and break however many cabinets you want. I don't care. I'm not going ANYWHERE and I will NOT give up on us."

His lips curved up slightly into a half smile at that. Never once did Jon deny his little Cher wasn't a stubborn passionate woman. And she was also entirely insane for wanting to be with someone like him. He'd never know what the hell he had done right to have her in his life and wouldn't question it.

"All right, Cher, all right." He murmured, holding the hand with the cigarette in it away from her and pulled her against him with the other, resting his cheek on top of her head. "I'm not giving up either." Jon reassured her, knowing things would alternate between smooth as silk to rough and rocky for a while. Everything would be worked out and fall into place the way it should in due time. It definitely helped that his biggest issue was six feet under. "Did you want to check out that place Betty mentioned?" He asked after a long moment, this time without the issues behind it. "Or should we pass it along to Joe and Monique?"

"Are they looking for a place together too?" Jon nodded and Cheria chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully, wondering if Aunt Betty would throw a fit having Joe and Monique living down the street from them. "Tell them to check it out first and, if they don't like it, we'll look. They do have a baby on the way." She softly brushed her mouth against his. "We don't have to get a house either. There's beautiful apartments all over Tampa or we can even get a duplex. I'll be happy to live anywhere as long as it's with you." His words really touched her heart, especially his affirmation of not giving up. That was her biggest worry was one day Jon would completely give up and leave her, refusing to let that happen. "As long as it has a big kitchen because I have a feeling Aunt Betty is gonna stock us up with more stuff…"

Jon actually groaned at that, louder when she giggled at him. "We don't even know what half of the stuff we have now is for!" He whined, knowing he sounded like a little boy, but couldn't help it. They now had two different types of potato peelers. He had always used a knife... or just bought frozen potatoes. "I don't know about an apartment. The really big ones are more than we can afford unless we look into some on the shady parts of town." He would not agree to do that, not about to put Cheria into some crappy neighborhood. "We'll have to look in the paper or something."

Roy stepped out with them, his morning cigar between his lips. He smoked twice a day, after breakfast and dinner. "You don't have to take the house. Betty is just being... Betty."

Jon started laughing at that.

"It's not that we don't appreciate her help…"

"I know, Cheri. You don't have to explain anythin' to me, sweetheart. You two do what you want and don't let anyone tell ya different. Ya hear me?" He puffed a little more on his cigar, glad Jon was slowly getting back to his old self, but it would take time to get over what Martha and Curtis put him through. "I disagree with an apartment though. Time to get yourselves a house. They're cheaper anyway and you can actually invest in them. I know ya got some money stored up, boy. House is your best bet."

"Yes, sir."

Cheria leaned against Jon, resting her head on his chest. "The closest we'll come to is a duplex."

"House, girl."

"A duplex is a glorified apartment." Jon whispered dramatically to Cheria, smiling as Roy nodded his agreement. "Why a house?"

"You're 30, Jon. You gotta plant roots eventually and there's no doing that in an apartment. Besides, buying a house is an investment and it's yours. Renting is a waste of money. You can't do anything with the property and you're always at risk of being kicked the hell out."

"He... does have some good points."

"Always does." Cheria muttered, squealing when Uncle Roy grabbed her in a headlock and ruffled her hair. "Uncle!"

"That's right! I am Uncle and what I say goes, girl! Haven't ya learned by now I know what I'm talkin' about?" Roy demanded, winking over at Jon to let the man know he wasn't hurting his niece. He'd never harm a hair on her head. "Now start thinkin' smart."

"You're messing up my HAIR!" Cheria growled, clasping her arms around his waist and started squeezing, having gained a little muscle since being with Jon because whenever he worked out, so did she.

"Holy hell, girl! You got strong!" Roy wheezed, releasing her head and held his side a bit. "Remind me not to mess with your hair again."

Cheria beamed proudly, kissing his cheek and then bounced back over to Jon's side. "He's right, we really should try to find a house."

Jon bent down to drop his cigarette butt into the old coffee can they used so nobody flicked them out into the yard, meeting Roy's eyes and shook his head. "Women..."

"I hear ya, son."

Jon then examined Cheria's silver tresses, trying not to laugh as she tried smoothing it back into place. "Sorry Cher, but it's pretty ruffled up here." He then... ruffled... her hair.

"Run Jon, run!"

Jon was faster than Cheria because of those long legs, but that didn't stop her from tackling him in the grass. Of course, Jon laughed and caught her, letting them both fall back with her on top of him. Roy had gone back inside shaking his head and stopped Betty from rushing out to make sure everything was alright. Cheria didn't realize what she was doing, wrapping her hands around Jon's bruised wrists and bent down to run her lips against his. Martha had done the same thing to him, not that she knew it. One second they were in the grass together and the next, Jon shoved Cheria off of him none too gently breathing heavily and scooting back on the grass away from her. She couldn't speak, not moving from her position and swallowed hard, wondering what triggered inside of him to shove her away like that.

"Don't fucking do that!" Jon half-snapped, half-gasped, staring at her out of wide eyes.

He had been fine and then, he wasn't. It hadn't been his Cheria, only Martha and Jon shook his head, breaking out in a cold sweat. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to take deep calming breaths. Jon had to get himself and his issues under control because he could very likely hurt Cheria if he didn't. Providing he hadn't already. Cheria trembled a little at his harsh tone and moved to sit on her knees in the grass, still not moving toward him. Not yet. Grabbing his wrists to hold him down had been a mistake and Cheria mentally kicked herself for being stupid. He was raped for days and no doubt Martha had done that to him.

"Jon…I-I'm sorry…"

"Cheria, are you okay?!" Charlotte rushed over to her, noticing the altercation from outside and wrapped an arm around Cheria's shoulders, staring over at her boyfriend in both sympathy and confusion. "What happened?"

"Nothing, don't worry about it." She cracked a hesitant smile up at her sister and watched Jon stand up from the grass, heading to his truck before taking off without her. So much for their day looking for a place together. "I-I'm gonna go lay down for a while. I'm not feeling good." Trudging back into the house, Cheria waited until she was alone in her room before breaking down, tears streaming down her face.

* * *

Monique had gotten a text from Charlotte about Jon and a recap of what went down. So Joe had been casual when he called his buddy, asking if he wanted to get together with Sami for a game of basketball at the nearby park. It was something they did to blow off steam whenever working out at the gym didn't seem like a good idea. Jon used to love playing; though, as they became busy at the shop and having gorgeous women in their lives, it was something that had tapered off. Joe figured maybe he could get Jon to relax, work out some of his frustration and anger.

Even if it meant he and Sami had to take a few bruises.

Sami had taken more than a few bruises by the end of their little 3-on3, and so had Joe. They had let Jon play rough, returning it and knew that, while they had to watch the jokes they were cracking, they also had to show Jon that they weren't going to treat him any differently than before. He was still Jonathan Good and one of them.

"I think you broke my tailbone, Good."

"Sorry, man."

Jon was sweating from head to toe, his shirt discarded, chest glistening in the hot sun beating down on them and smirked slightly, helping Sami off the court. He had a lovely bruise himself from where Joe had elbowed him. Doing what he had done to Cheria, Jon felt horrible, but also good in a weird way. A little too good. Not because of what he did, but because he was doing something normal, venting. It was probably a good thing they weren't wrestlers or something because he would have murdered his friends.

"Now get your ass home, crawl into bed with your woman and show her how sorry you are." Joe ordered, wiping sweat from his neck and arms with a towel, seeing the hesitation in Jon's eyes. "Look man, what happened sucks and we all know that. But if you wanna get your life back in order, you gotta start living it. You feel shitty for what happened with Cheria, so go make it right. Take her in your arms and tell her everything you can't say to your boys. And then SHOW her. If you don't wanna be handled with kid gloves anymore, show her you're not afraid to get back on the horse again." One thing Joe always did was tell Jon exactly what was on his mind, no sugar coating whatsoever.

"Make sure you're ready to do it, though."

"Right." Joe smacked Sami upside the head. "When you're ready…" The sooner Jon took the next step and reconnected with Cheria in every way, including the bedroom, the better off he'd be.

"You're a fucking idiot, Joe, you really are." Jon snorted, shaking his head. "It's not easy as all that, bro."

As much as he wanted to... get back on the horse, so to speak, it was a little hard -no pun intended- when Cheria did something Martha had done. What the hell was he supposed to do, make her lay there while he had his way with her? Actually, that wasn't a bad idea. Joe began cursing when Sami jumped up just to slap him in the head.

"What the hell?!"

"Like I'm going to let you get away with that shit?"

"I'm not trying to push you into making love to her, but you gotta get a handle on this too, bro. You're gonna hurt Cheria if you lash out like you did today. She's a lot smaller than you." Joe was thinking about Cheria's safety, knowing Monique was worried sick about her best friend. "You scared her today. Make it right. That's all I'm saying." Then he proceeded to put Sami in a headlock and flipped him on the grass near the court, only for Sami to power out of it and slapped a crab on the big man. "OW FUCK!"

Sami was a lot stronger than people realized, even if he only stood at 5'11 and was the smaller of the bunch. "NOW who's my bitch?"

"Just wait until I get outta this…"

Sami yawned, still holding onto the hold with every bit of strength he had. "Say I'm the man or I'm not letting you go, dick."

"Fuck you – OW-OW-OW!"

"What was that, man?"

"Good, a little assist here, bro?!"

Jon's response was to place the basketball on the court and crouch down, watching with a smirk as Sami made Joe his bitch. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Joe's eyes narrowed. "Is that how this is gonna be?"

"Oh yeah bro. You give out shitty advice." Jon already knew he had to make it right with Cheria and didn't need Joe displaying his growing uterus. "Say it and I'll help you out."

"That's right, say I'm the man."

"I'm the man!" Joe was laughing, still not believing Jon's attitude, though... the snarky tone he used was pure Jon. "I'm the- Sami, I'm going to fuck you up!"

"Ouch Sami, that one is going to leave a bruise." Jon pushed himself up, stretching his arms over his head. "I'm gone, you guys have fun." He was going to go apologize to his woman.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

Not waking up from her nap, Cheria didn't feel the bed dip or the strong arm wrap around her waist until her back was saturated, snuggling against the heated body holding her close. She sighed in her sleep, not minding the smell of his sweaty body permeating the room and turned on her side to face him, eyes still closed. They slowly opened when a hand stroked her cheek and Cheria breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of him, tears immediately burning her eyes.

"I'm sor-"

His finger pressed against her mouth and quickly replaced it with his mouth, Cheria immediately responding to the kiss. She would stay away from his wrists, learning her lesson the first time and instead pulled him on top of her on the bed, glad he came back to her. Jon had a million and one issues, and right now, his main issue was her. He wanted her, but didn't know how to get past his Martha baggage. Not wanting to talk about it, Joe could take that advice and stick it because Jon would get through this his way. However, he wanted to show Cheria he loved her and still wanted her somehow. She had made it more than clear that she wanted him. He probably should have at least rinsed off since he was soaked with sweat, still bare from the waist up. The sight of her lying there with tear streaks marring her face... No, the first thing Jon had to do was make things right and reassure his girlfriend. It had occurred to him, on the drive back, she needed reassurance just as much as he did.

"I love you, Cher." He whispered, running a large hand down her side until he was at the hem of her shirt.

Reaching beneath it just so he could feel her silky smooth skin against his palm. Apologizing would only make things worse and Cheria didn't want to ruin this moment between them, arching her body against his heated touch. It'd been so long – or felt like it – since he last touched her. Rolling him over wasn't an option or taking control. Jon had to be the one in control until he felt completely comfortable with a woman again – with her. If all he wanted to do was kiss and caress her for hours on end, Cheria was more than up to the task. She was just glad he came back after what happened between them that morning after breakfast.

"I love you too, Jon, always." She breathed, not moving to pursue anything else because they had to go at his pace. "I've missed this."

Cheria swallowed hard when his hand arrived just below her bra covered breast. It was up to him if he wanted to continue or stop, remaining lying beneath him stroking his chest gently. Truth be told, Jon had missed being with her too, but it was going to be on his terms. It had to be for now. Jon needed control back in his life and this was the one area he desperately needed it. He wouldn't hurt Cheria, but... he pulled back, straddling her and gripped the hem of her shirt, pulling it up until he could see her bra. Her breasts were straining within the fabric and he smiled slightly, seeing a familiar flush spread over her body. Taking his own sweet time, Jon ran his hands up her sides and back down, loving the way goose bumps dotted her flesh.

Cheria wanted to tell him to stop because it looked as though Jon was forcing himself to do this. However, she kept her mouth shut and just enjoyed, giving him complete control over everything. The way his strong hands caressed her sides sent shivers throughout her body, hence the goose bumps. Never had a man made her feel this way – hell she'd only been with boys until she met Jon. He was the first and only man she wanted and needed, just as she voiced earlier that day. Her stomach clenched a little when he brushed his knuckles against her abdomen before going back to her sides, purposely avoiding the two areas she desperately needed attention. The only thing Cheria did was reciprocate by running her fingers through his haphazard auburn blonde curls. Maybe he didn't need a haircut after all.

Jon forced himself to do this all right, to take his time, because he didn't want to have their first time having sex since the Incident be something rough and potentially cruel. He wanted to take his time, be in control, and explore her all over again. Jon could tell she was craving his touch elsewhere and let out a throaty chuckle, bending down to begin kissing a line down her stomach, to the waistband of her bottoms and heard her holding her breath. Hooking his thumbs in the waistband, Jon pulling the material down, revealing her panties and growled his approval at how damp they were. His growl sent shivers throughout her body, from the top of her head to the tips of her pedicured toes. It told Cheria he was enjoying everything he was doing to her. His nose brushing against her drenched panties forced Cheria to suck in a sharp breath and her fingers tightened in his hair a little more. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face while Jon lifted her legs to make them bend, stroking her inner thighs.

"Jon…" Cheria moaned out, going out of her mind and was pretty sure she'd end up being driven insane before this was all said and done.

"JONATHAN, CHERIA DINNER!"

They both groaned in unison, each of their bodies trembling from all the buildup. "We REALLY need to get our own place immediately."

"You're not kidding, Cher..." Jon groaned, resting his face right in her crotch.

He had been about to get himself some dessert. Loved Betty to death but damn was her timing horrible, Jon thought, contemplating skipping dinner. Sighing, he nipped at her before pushing himself away, standing at the foot of the bed and took in the vision of Cheria.

"I'm going to go wash up. I doubt Betty wants me stinking down there..." Or sporting the raging erection he was displaying through his basketball shorts.

* * *

"Cheria... are you feeling all right? You look like you have a fever." Betty said fretfully when Cheria came trudging downstairs, walking over to place a hand on her niece's forehead.

"I'm fine, Auntie. Excuse me."

Then Cheria promptly walked over to the freezer, with Charlotte and Roy watching her alongside Aunt Betty, and stuck an ice cube down her panties. It was the only way to calm the raging fire Jon had sparked in her body before they were interrupted. Her eyes closed at the frozen feeling against her throbbing clit and both Roy and Charlotte covered their mouths with their hands while Betty just stood there aghast.

"CHERIA ANNE!"

Roy cleared his throat, having a pretty good idea what had been going on upstairs and stood up from the table. "Go outside for some air."

Cheria promptly took a second ice cube on her way out the door, trying not to glare at Aunt Betty and tried pushed the thought of Jon upstairs in the shower by himself out of her mind. "Tomorrow, definitely looking tomorrow."

Charlotte had to clear her throat, trying not to laugh at the image of Cheria sticking an ice cube down her panties. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what she and Jon had been up to or what Betty had interrupted. Poor Cheria... She stifled her giggles when she got a look from Betty, clearing her throat again.

"So... I'll just finish setting the table then."

Roy held up a finger when Betty opened her mouth, shaking his head. "Not a word, honeybee."

"But-"

"Nope. No comments."

* * *

"I don't know about this, Cheri…" Monique looked over at Joe hesitantly while he prepared for work that day. It was Jon's first official day back and, to say the Samoan was nervous, was a gross understatement. "I mean your Aunt found it and offered it to you first…"

"Moni, I'm not the one who is having a baby, you are. Jon and I don't want a house anyway and we think this place is perfect for you and Joe to start your family in." Cheria said honestly, applying foundation to her face to hide a few pimples forming, sighing. "Just look at it, what harm could it do?" It was her first day back to the shop as well and Jon was unnerving from how calm he was about going back to work.

The last thing Monique wanted to do was turn down a potential house offer since her and Joe had zero luck finding anything in their price range lately. The baby would be here in mere months and they weren't a quarter prepared for the arrival. In a few days, they would find out the sex of the baby since Monique was over 5 months along, making her 21 and a half weeks. Joe didn't want to start planning or buying a lot of items until they found out the sex of the baby, but part of Monique wanted to be surprised. However, she sided with Joe finding out about the sex since none of the 'neutral' colors seemed to suit her. Yellow was hideous and, in her opinion, lilac was for a girl, not for a boy.

"Okay – fine alright." She conceded in a grumble, rolling her eyes and grunted when the baby nailed her in the stomach. "Jesus, this kid is doing somersaults inside of me. I hope it doesn't try escaping before the due date…" Pregnancy was so confusing and bizarre. "I'll make an appointment to look at it on Joe's next day off."

Cheria beamed, glad her best friend was taking her up on the house offer that was just down the road from Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy's. "I really believe you'll love it. And don't worry about that, it's already set up for you. I told them Saturday since Jon is giving Joe the whole weekend off to decompress and spend time with you."

"R-Really?" Did Joe know about this and didn't tell her?

"It's a surprise for him, so don't say anything." Cheria added, answering Monique's question and finished applying gloss to her lips just as the bedroom door opened behind her. "Gotta go, talk to you later, sissy."

Monique hung up, chewing her bottom lip and glanced at the closed bathroom door, tempted to go talk to Joe about the upcoming house appointment. Not only did they have a baby to plan for, but their wedding as well. She just wanted to go to the courthouse, but Joe wanted an actual ceremony. Heaving a sigh, Monique padded away from the bathroom toward the kitchen since the baby was demanding her to eat. Now that the morning sickness phase passed, Monique was eating everything in sight and her appetite had increased tenfold. There was always another time to talk to Joe since he was nervous enough about going to work.

* * *

"So, I found a few houses we could look at when we have time away from the shop." Cheria broke the silence between her and Jon while they rode together to work. "I know you have a lot going on right now with the shop, but if we want privacy…"

Every time Jon tried making love to Cheria over the next week, it seemed as though Betty or Roy had a radar on their sexual activities. Hell, he waited until 3 AM to make a move only for Betty to knock on the door asking if they were still up since she couldn't sleep. Insomnia had been lethal in the Ferguson household lately. Cheria was tempted to rent a hotel room for the night just to get the privacy she and Jon desperately needed, but neither had worked in close to 3 weeks. Money was somewhat tight, so that wasn't an option. Both craved each other intensely and Cheria was afraid, if they didn't have sex soon, both would implode from all the buildup without any release.

"Just point me in the direction and we'll go look at whatever you picked out, darlin'." Jon brought her hand to his mouth, kissing it softly and let his lips linger longer than necessary on her skin.

"Alright…"

Pulling up to the shop a few minutes later, Jon put his truck in park and both hopped out, a vehicle neither of them recognized parked in front of the building. Cheria stayed close to Jon, linking her arm with his and froze when she realized who was in the car. She had expected to be confronted sooner or later, but didn't think it would happen so quickly. The driver's door pushed open and outstepped none other than Dirk Hussey, Curtis's father, his dark eyes that mirrored Curtis's narrowed to slits. This was the last thing they needed to deal with given everything else Jon had been through lately.

"Mr. Hussey…" Jon squared his shoulders, his tone completely professional and stepped up to the slightly smaller man, keeping Cheria behind him. "We're not open yet. You need to come back in an hour or so…" Or preferably never.

Dirk eyed the younger man shrewdly, folding his arms in front of his chest and noticed Cheria, his son's ex-girlfriend, hadn't made eye contact with him. "Not here on business, boy." He turned his head to the sit, spitting a wad on the ground and turned suspicious eyes back on the couple. "Any of you seen my boy around lately?"

Of course they had, but Cheria couldn't say that aloud without losing her freedom and being tossed into prison for murder. "No, why?" As far as anyone knew, the last place Curtis was seen had been Prom night.

"He's missing." Dirk rubbed the back of his neck, worry evident in his eyes for his child and Cheria's heart lurched tightly in her chest.

Why did Curtis have to be Martha's accomplice and force them to end his life? "He is?" She made it sound surprising, emerald eyes widening slightly in mock shock. "H-How long?" Damn her stuttering!

Jon could tell Cheria was losing her nerve in front of Dirk and decided to take the reins of the situation. "The last time I saw him was in my shop when he dropped your vehicle off to be checked over…again." He wanted to wrap an arm around Cheria's waist and had to fight the urge, keeping up the professionalism. "Cher, when did you see Curtis Hussey last?"

"Prom. Haven't seen him since." Cheria muttered softly, doing her best to keep her voice calm and steady, though the rest of her was quaking on the inside. "I'm sorry he's missing…" Another blatant lie.

"Hmm…" Dirk studied them for a few moments and finally stepped back to give the owner of the shop some breathing room. "Alright, well if you see him, you tell him we're looking for him."

"Will do." Not likely, Jon added in thought, since Curtis was currently burnt to a crisp on the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio. "Have a good day, sir." He walked past Dirk's vehicle with Cheria on his heels and unlocked the front door, turning just in time to catch her trembling body colliding into him.

That had possibly been the most nerve-wracking and uncomfortable experience in Cheria's life, sincerely hoping it didn't happen again.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

"That was terrible!" Cheria released Jon a few minutes later, once her trembling ceased and walked behind her desk, leaving the little door open in case Jon followed. He did. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

"Weather the storm and wait it out." Jon replied patiently, leaning against the wall with his arms folded in front of his chest. "Even with the fire, remains will be left behind and Curtis will be discovered sooner or later. Nobody knows where we were the past couple days and Betty is our alibi." He reminded her, trying to ease Cheria's mind a little about the situation. Same with Joe, Sami and Roy.

The guilt was starting to rise within her and Cheria felt fresh tears slide down her cheeks, shutting her eyes. The vision of her finger pulling the trigger and lodging the bullet in Martha's chest flashed through her mind, making her snap them open instantly. When would the nightmares and visions end? Was this the price she had to pay for killing a monster – a life wrecker? Granted, she hadn't pulled the trigger with Curtis, Uncle Roy had, but Cheria knew the truth about what happened to him. How was she supposed to take that secret to the grave? What if the forensics team found traces of Jon at the beaten up shack he'd been captive in and it came back on them? What if Dirk found out what really happened to his son?

"Cheria, look at me." Jon instructed in a strict voice, forcing watery emeralds to meet apathetic pale blues, wiping tears away with the pads of his thumbs. "You can't fall apart on me now. You have to keep it together, especially while we're at work. When we're at home alone, where nobody can see us, you can fall apart against me all you want and I'll catch you. But right now, you have to keep a smile on your face and pretend everything is alright. It's the only way we'll get through this."

He was right, no matter how much Cheria wanted to deny it and somehow his words calmed her down. "H-He can't find out the truth. Maybe we should call your Mom and-"

"No." Jon released her, shaking his head and leaned against the desk with his hands planted on top of it. "She was there too and if she goes snooping around, she'll get caught. It's better to leave everything the way it is and wait for the announcement of Curtis's remains found. Martha's too." He wouldn't shed a single tear for either person, not after everything he'd been put through.

Again, another valid point. Cheria really hated how calm Jon could be sometimes considering there was a possibility of her going down for murder. "How can you be so…composed about this? Aren't you the least bit afraid of what may happen? Of what will be found?"

"Of course I am, but if you think I'm gonna stand here and worry over it, I won't. Fuck them. Those assholes got what they deserved and the world is better without them in it." Jon meant that with every fiber of his being, pushing away from her desk and squared his shoulders. "Like I said, keep it together until we're at home in the safety of your room and then we can talk about this all you want. Joe has enough to worry about right now. No need to get him riled up further. You hear me, darlin'?" He was her boss and, if he had to, Jon would make it an order for her to cool her jets.

Monique didn't need to worry about her fiancé and father of her child going to prison either, Cheria thought, taking a few deep breaths just as Joe walked through the door. "Hey big man." She greeted with a phony smile, hoping he didn't see through it and leaned up to kiss Jon's cheek. "You should get going on those cars, boss."

Winking down at her, Jon was glad Cheria had taken his advice regarding Joe and nodded, walked through the small door to greet his friend with a handshake. "Come on, bro. Tons of work to do and not enough time. We'll be here late tonight."

"I already counted on it. Thanks again for the house, man. You didn't have to do that for us." Joe had a brief conversation with his fiancée prior to leaving the apartment and couldn't believe how thoughtful Jon and Cheria were. "Means a lot, I know she's gonna love it too."

"You should thank Betty and Roy. They're the ones who found it."

Joe made a mental note to buy them something as a way of saying 'thank you', heading over to a vehicle while Jon took the one nearest to the door, flipping the radio on.

* * *

"So, how was the first day back?" Betty asked, setting plates of food in front of Roy and the kids, smiling widely. It was so nice to see Jon getting back to his normal everyday life alongside Cheria, proud of them both. "Any problems?"

Cheria wanted to tell them about who paid a visit prior to the shop opening, but kept her mouth shut and shook her head instead. She didn't want to worry her family any more than necessary either. Charlotte was new to town and had no idea what transpired in Cincinnati along with Monique, so they were in the clear, no matter what. Aunt Betty too. She flashed a small smile at Aunt Betty to assure her everything was fine and took a bite of meatloaf with mashed potatoes, glancing at Jon out of the corner of her eye. Whatever was going through his mind, she could only imagine and hoped he wasn't losing his calm demeanor either.

"Nope, just busy as hell. Joe did a great job manning the place while I was gone and I'm thinking about making him my partner." Jon announced out of nowhere, watching Betty, Roy and Cheria all freeze to stare at him with slacked jaws and wide eyes, chuckling. "What? It shouldn't come as a shock. He busts his ass and with the baby on the way…"

"Son, I know you mean well and everythin', but don't give him half your company because he's bringin' a kid in the world. Do it because you think it'll benefit the company and he deserves it." Roy had to put his two cents in, admiring Jon for recognizing just how much of a hard worker his employee was. "Just for the record, I think he'd make a fine partner."

Jon understood Roy's concern and appreciated the input, but he'd made his mind up about this prior to being kidnapped and assaulted. "Even though he stepped on my toes a few times, especially with Cher, I can't ignore what he did for the shop while I was gone. Besides, Sami wants a job and is finishing up his auto engineering degree in a couple weeks. Figured I'd give him a shot since he worked so hard at school." He also promised his smaller friend a job if he went to school to better himself.

"Commendable, dear." Betty praised, sitting down at the table to make her own plate and dug in, not having much of an appetite lately. Tonight was the first time she actually wanted to eat. "So, when are you going to offer the partnership to Joseph?"

"Once they get a house. I don't wanna bombard them with too much what with the baby and planning their wedding." Jon enjoyed anything and everything Betty made, but meatloaf was one of her specialties.

Cheria had no idea this had been going through her boyfriend's mind, but it didn't surprise her either. Joe and Jon were more than best friends and coworkers; they were brothers. The Samoan proved he would literally die for Jon by coming with to Cincinnati to save him from Martha and Curtis's clutches. She wasn't angry or held a grudge against Joe for firing her either. If the roles had been reversed and someone hurt Monique the way she did Jon, Cheria would've done the same thing Joe did. All he did was look out for his best friend and brother; she would not fault Joe for that decision. Monique punished him enough by giving the silent treatment, which was lethal because she pulled off better than anyone.

"Moni is going to freak out when she hears the news." Cheria watched Jon give her a stern look and rolled her eyes, nudging him playfully. "Don't worry, I won't say anything." It would be the first secret kept from Monique, but luckily it was for a very good reason.

"You better not or I'll punish you." Jon murmured in her ear, loud enough for only Cheria to hear and watched her turn 4 shades of red at the dinner table, going back to the delicious food in front of him.

After dinner finished and Cheria helped Aunt Betty clean up the kitchen, she ventured outside to see Jon sitting in the grass over by the garden. She remembered the first time they came out here, when they figured discovered their feelings for each other, and how electrically charged the connection between them had been. It was a feeling Cheria would never feel with another man as long as she lived. Sitting on the grass beside him, her hand covered his and laced their fingers together, neither speaking a word just enjoying the tranquility for a moment.

"What's on your mind, baby?" She asked softly, gliding her hand up and down his strong arm while Jon smoked his after dinner cigarette, the smell not bothering her.

As loaded as that question was, Jon didn't want to keep anything from Cheria because secrets between them had nearly been their downfall. "Why did you lie to me about going to Cincinnati to see…her?"

He couldn't call Claire his mother, egg donor at best, no matter if she stuck her neck out to protect him. They hadn't talked about Cheria's reasoning behind the trip and lying. Jon couldn't get it out of his mind, trying his best to let it go, but it was a situation unresolved between them. Talking about it would help Jon move on faster. It had nothing to do with not loving the silver haired beauty because that wasn't possible. He would always love her, but his trust was a little shaky since she had blatantly lied to his face. As trivial as it was, Jon needed to know the truth, no matter how harsh it may be.

This was a conversation Cheria didn't think they would ever have and felt her insides tighten slightly, eyes moving to stare at her bare feet sinking into the soft grass. "I had to know the truth about Charlotte and my biological mother, Diane. I felt awful after bringing up going to Cincinnati to talk to…Claire." She knew better than to refer the woman as Jon's mother, especially since Jon still couldn't use the term of endearment. "You were done with the conversation and I assumed there was no room for discussion, so I improvised. I talked to Monique about it and she didn't want me going alone. She offered to go and, at the time, she and Joe were on the outs because of the pregnancy. Monique found out she was pregnant and freaked out, which is why she shut Joe out in the cold. She needed a break and I offered it to her. I know it was a dangerous stupid thing to do, an unnecessary trip to make, but…Jon, I don't regret doing it. Lying to you is the only thing I do regret doing because I should've been completely honest with you. I was honestly afraid you wouldn't let me go if I told you about it and I had to know if Charlotte was telling me the truth or if she was lying. Honestly, from the moment I first met her here in the living room, I felt an instant connection to her and now I know why. Maybe I didn't have to take the trip at all, but I did and I can't take it back. All I can say is I'm sorry for lying to you and I swear, I'll never do it again."

Granted, Jon had somewhat lost his temper when she first spoke of going to Cincinnati and shut her out. Looking back, he could've handled the conversation a lot better instead of being so cold and distant toward her. He didn't blame Cheria for wanting to know the truth about Charlotte because, at the time, they were still waiting to find out if they were related or not. Charlotte had been the small glimmer of hope they had been looking for and part of Jon was afraid to find out the truth – for that hope to be ripped away from them. There was no point or sense in not forgiving her for simply following her heart in order to find the answers and piece the puzzle of her life together.

"I don't blame you." Jon broke the silence between them, plucking some grass out of the ground to roll it between his fingers, looking up at the twilight sky. "I probably would've done the same thing, Cher."

Her head snapped up to look at him, their eyes meeting and Cheria felt the breath temporarily leave her body. "I won't lie to you again or keep anything from you. From now on, it's complete trust between us." She reached up to caress his face with the back of her hand and felt Jon wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her against him until she straddled his lap.

The hunger for her ate away at him and being out here in the backyard completely alone was a moment in time Jon would not waste. "Take your shorts off." He ordered, already reaching between them to unfasten the belt on his jeans and unsnapped them, managing to somehow free his bulging erection.

"W-What?!" Cheria blinked, seeing Jon was completely serious and looked back at the house before back at him, wondering if he'd lost his mind. "Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy could come out here any second looking for us…" She murmured, gasping at his fingers stroking her cotton short covered sex through the panties she had on. "Out here, really?"

Nodding, Jon smirked devilishly and lifted Cheria from the ground with her legs wrapped around his waist, moving them behind the tall shrubs out of sight. "Shorts off now. I won't ask again." He ordered, setting her down, more than ready to be buried to the hilt inside of her sweet welcoming body.

Cheria didn't need to be told twice, not caring where they had sex and reacquainted as long as it happened. It'd been 2 weeks since Jon was rescued from Martha and it was 2 weeks too long for them to be together. Once her shorts and panties were off, Jon pressed her against the wooden fence the yard was surrounded by and buried his face in her neck, pushing past her silk folds. Cheria had to bite into his shoulder to keep from crying out in sheer pleasure, feeling like she was truly home with Jon deep inside of her.

"Welcome home, baby." She purred in his ear and heard Jon growl softly, holding onto him as much as she could while Jon proceeded to give her the orgasm of her life in Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy's backyard.

No other words were spoken between them, just muffled moans and groans sieving the air around them.


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

"Joe, it's too s-soon!" Monique stammered, beads of sweat caking her forehead and clutched his strong hand as another strong contraction zipped through her small body. "H-Here comes another one!"

"Come on baby girl, you got this! I'm right here for you and I'm not leaving. You can do this! Bring our baby into the world." Joe coached, trying to sound as positive and enthusiastic as he could, though deep down he was terrified since their baby would be prematurely born at 7 months. "Christ!" His hand was either broken or on the verge of being pure jelly from lack of bones.

Life-changing and altering events took place over the past couple months, all of it leading to Monique bringing her and Joe's son into the world. They found out shortly after Jon's rescue and both were incessantly happy with the news because a boy is what they wanted. Monique had no idea what to do with a girl and Joe just wanted a happy healthy baby, but secretly hoped it was a boy. The little mongrel had given his mother quite the shots to her insides, bruising her ribs due to lodging his foot continuously in them. He was very active and bigger than the average baby should've been at just 5 months. So it was no surprise Monique had gone into premature labor and no amount of medication in the world could stop the contractions. The baby boy had given his eviction notice and refused to stay inside of his mother a day longer.

Looking down at the beautiful small diamond ring on her left ring finger, Joe smiled in spite of Monique's painful cries, remembering how beautiful she looked walking down the aisle toward him in their wedding. She was against getting married looking like a huge beach ball, but Joe assured his bride she was the most beautiful woman on the planet. In his deep greys, nobody else compared and he was lucky to have her in his life. Of course, Jon was Joe's Best Man and Cheria was Monique's Maid of Honor, both of them having a small outdoor ceremony in Roy and Betty's backyard. Planning a big extravagant wedding wasn't in the cards, not when they were busy preparing to bring another life into the world. Not only that, but Joe and Monique closed on the house Betty found since the mother-to-be fell in love with it instantly. Moving from Joe's apartment into the house had also been a huge change in their lives.

Monique wore a simple short sleeved white gown that went to her knees, her raven hair done up in a crown of curls her mother had gotten done for her. Cheria wore deep maroon while the men were in black cargo shorts, Jon in a maroon polo while Joe had a white one. Her father wasn't happy with the pregnancy or marriage and punished his family by filing for divorce. Monique's heart shattered at her father's horrid actions, but her mother assured her everything was fine. They hadn't been getting along for a while, always hiding the fighting from Monique since their jobs required extensive traveling. At the very least, Monique had one parent in her life that supported her decisions since she was officially an adult. Turning 18 a few weeks before the wedding would seem ridiculous to most people, but to Monique she didn't want to be anyone else in the world except Joseph Anoa'i.

A month after the ceremony, the announcement came regarding Curtis Hussey and Martha Singleton's remains being found on the outskirts of Cincinnati. According to the forensics team and the investigation, they ruled it a double homicide. Case closed. Jon, Joe, Sami, Roy and Cheria all breathed huge sighs of relief along with Monique, Charlotte and Betty, though the women hadn't gone with to witness the actual events. Claire called with the news since it was first announced throughout the Cincinnati area. Dirk Hussey had put out a nationwide search for his son and it'd been all over the news for 2 months. Surprisingly, only Jon, Cheria, Roy and Betty had been pulled in for questioning by the authorities of Tampa, all passing with flying colors. Whether it was Roy's connections that saved them would forever be a mystery and nobody was questioning it.

Once the house was closed on and the bank approved their loan for it, Jon asked Joe to be his partner of Good's Automobile Repairs. Joe accepted instantly, embracing Jon and couldn't believe he recognized Joe's impeccable work. Everyone thought Jon was just a grease monkey, as Curtis so eloquently referred him throughout the kidnapping, but in truth he knew a lot about the world and paid attention to everything around him. He just didn't voice his opinions about much unless he felt it was necessary. Joe deserved the push in the company and Jon trusted him completely, knowing they would build into a huge success. Not that Good's Automobile Repairs wasn't already, not to mention popular throughout the Tampa Bay area.

"YOU'RE NEVER TOUCHING ME AGAIN, JOSEPH!"

That screaming jarred the Samoan out of thoughts of the past and back to his current present.

* * *

"Monique's in labor." Jon looked down at his cell phone and watched Cheria's eyes widen. "Relax darlin', Joe's with her. Good thing he took today off for her doctor's appointment."

"Yeah…"

Cheria glanced at the clock and saw it was just past noon, knowing the shop didn't close until 5. There was nothing she could do for Monique besides wait in the lobby of the hospital worrying over all the negativity with premature labors and births. Jon was just getting back to who he was after the kidnapping and rape and his business had suffered a lot during his absence. He'd been gone for a week, the doors closed to the shop, so taking more time off wasn't an option. They would be fine and, if Monique needed her, Cheria would fly to the hospital as fast as she could. She knew Jon would understand, but he had to put his business first before it went bankrupt.

"If you want to go to the hospital…"

"No – yes – no, I don't – I mean I can't – I mean I want to…" Cheria hated battling with herself and groaned, planting her head on the desk since they were on a lunch break.

Jon chuckled at her indecisiveness, rubbing her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Breathe Cher, everything is gonna work out." He rumbled soothingly in her ear, squatting to be eyelevel with her. "Say the word and we'll go check on her right now, if we're allowed in the room." From what Jon heard regarding childbirth, it took a long time to get through.

"She's only 7 months along…" Cheria couldn't keep the fear out of her voice, lifting her head from the desk to stare down at her comforting boyfriend and caressed his face with the back of her hand. "What if something's wrong with the baby?"

"We'll just have to wait for a phone call or text then. We'll be the first they call, I'm sure. Monique has him and her Mom right now, so she's in good hands." Jon knew Cheria wished there was something she could do to help her best friend and felt powerless. "She's gonna be fine. Joe won't let anything happen to his wife."

Cheria could only hope that was true and looked back down at the paperwork on her desk she still had to get through, sighing. "I need to call Charlotte and let her know what's going on with Moni. Aunt Betty and Uncle Roy will wanna know too."

"Alright, I'll be outside for my smoke break if you need me, darlin'." Jon rose from his squatted position and captured her mouth in a soft kiss followed by a wink.

In spite of her worry for Monique and the baby, Cheria smiled and touched her mouth with her fingertips, wondering if the feeling would fade over time. Every time Jon gave her a kiss, her lips tingled along with the rest of her body. She never wanted to lose that feeling with Jon or the connection they had, no matter how long they were together and if they had children or got married. Great, now she was thinking like a crazy paranoid freak! Why couldn't she just be happy with the way things were between them? There were no sour grapes watching her best friend get married, but it did make Cheria wonder if Jon would ever propose to her one day. Shaking that thought out of her head, she swiped her finger across the touchscreen phone and found Charlotte's number, hoping her sister was home from work by now since she worked at 3 AM every day.

"Hello?" Charlotte's sleepy voice resonated through the phone, answering on the 5th ring.

"Shit, I woke you up didn't I?" Cheria grumbled, rubbing the back of her neck since it was incredibly tense.

Charlotte glanced at the clock and saw it was past noon, letting out a long yawn. "Yeah, but thanks for the wakeup call. I can't let my ass sleep all day." Technically she could, but there were things to do first. "What's up, sis?"

"Monique is in labor. Jon got the text message from Joe about half an hour ago and she's at the hospital. I wanna go, but at the same time there's nothing I can do for her. Should I go and just wait in the lobby or finish off the day with Jon and go with him later?" Lately, Cheria had turned to her newly found sister for advice, the last thing they discussed being the beautiful 3 bedroom duplex her and Jon moved into a week after Joe and Monique's wedding. "I know you have to work in the morning…"

"Well, as much as I love Monique, I don't think she needs a bunch of people breathing down her neck right now, sweetie. That's just my opinion though. If I was in your shoes, I would finish my work day and then call to see if she wants to see anyone while going through labor. I don't know about you, but if I was in that position…hell no." The sisters giggled softly over the phone with each other at the lame joke and Cheria felt marginally better about her decision to stay at the shop with Jon. "She'd call if she needed you up there, Cheri."

"Yeah you're right, she would." Cheria agreed, looking at the clock and saw she still had 15 minutes left before needing to get back to work. "Anyway, that's the big news on my front. How are things between you and Samuel?"

"You mean Sami." Charlotte corrected with a soft chuckle, shrugging and smiled at the thought of her boyfriend. "Progressing slowly, but surely. He's supposed to be coming over for dinner tonight after work, which is why I'm glad you called and woke me up. I still have to go to the grocery store and figure out what to make." Another yawn followed. "And he's great with my current schedule too."

They'd been dating for 3 months now officially, starting out casual and moving up the steps toward a relationship. Charlotte was extremely old-fashioned and believed in being romanced before giving herself to a man. Getting close to another man after the death of her last love was also difficult, but so far Sami had given zero complaints. There were a few sleepovers between them, but nothing sexual and Charlotte didn't know how much longer she could hold out on him. With every sleepover, their make out sessions had grown intense each time and it was getting to the point where Charlotte wanted Sami to touch her everywhere, specifically her private regions.

"Well you better get off the phone and get ready for dinner then. I want details!" Cheria knew her sister was getting to the point where she was fully ready to give herself to Sami. It was only a matter of time. "Spaghetti is an aphrodisiac from what I've heard and read…"

Charlotte rolled her eyes, slipping from the bed and stretched her arms in the air. "I'm hanging up now. Talk to you later and keep me posted on how Monique is doing."

The sisters hung up just as Jon stepped back into the office, looking a lot less stressed and ready to go back to work. Cheria crooked her finger at him, beckoning him over and softly brushed her mouth against his once he leaned over the high desk. Then, he went to the back to get busy on the vehicles while Cheria returned to her stack of paperwork, once again lips tingling and mind on what was happening to Monique and the baby at the hospital.

* * *

"Y-You want to what?!" Monique croaked out through heavy breathing, face beat red from dealing with contractions, which were 3 minutes apart.

The doctor frowned at the mother-to-be while once again checking to see how far dilated she was. "Monique, I'm concerned the baby hasn't dropped enough and you're barely 3 centimeters along. It's been hours. I think a C-section would be in your best interest, especially since the baby is premature. I know you wanted a natural birth, but I don't think that's a possibility at this point."

"No…" Monique rested her head back against the pillow, tears streaming down her sweaty cheeks and looked up at Joe, shaking her head. "W-We had a plan…"

"I know baby girl, but if this is the safest way to deliver our baby boy, I say we do it. It's safest for you too." Joe reasoned, stroking her sweat slicked hair and knew how much she had wanted to bring their son into this world herself. "I don't want to lose either of you, 'Nique."

Monique gazed into his grey orbs for a few moments and shut her eyes before turning to look down at the OBGYN. "Will we be able to have more children if I do this?" She had no idea what kind of complications came with a C-section and wanted to know what the risks were. This wasn't the only baby they wanted to have.

"Yes, but every pregnancy from here on out will have to be through C-section. You won't be able to deliver vaginally." The doctor replied informatively, standing from the stool and took the rubbing gloves, tossing them in the trash. "I'll go prep the OR then?"

Taking a deep breath, Monique placed a hand on her stomach and felt another contraction start tearing through her body, nodding. "Yes, I want this baby out of me now!" She cried out, squeezing Joe's hand and tried fighting the pain off the best she could.

"So much for your threat earlier about me never touching you again, eh?" Joe joked, trying to lighten the mood a little and sighed when Monique just flipped him the bird with her free hand.

"Keep up that Samoan sass and I won't give you any more babies, Mr. Anoa'i." Monique swallowed hard once the contraction diminished, glaring at the blood pressure cuff around her arm and stared up at the ceiling. "Call Jon, let him know what's going on with his and Cheria's godson."

Nodding, Joe knew he had to make the phone call now because, once they were in the OR, he wouldn't be able to until after their son was delivered safely.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

"Matao Leati Anoa'i, get away from the water's edge!"

"Nana!" The raven haired, brown eyed boy shouted, giggling as he ran down the sand near the ocean water where his mother didn't want him. Nana was Matao's 'no' and everyone found it incredibly cute every time he said it.

"When I get my hands on you, Matao…!"

Cheria shook her head, watching her adorable godson run off and couldn't believe it'd been 2 years since he was born. They were celebrating Matao's 2nd birthday on the beach of Tampa, tiki torches lit to keep the mosquitoes at bay. It was also a celebration of Joe and Monique's 2nd wedding anniversary since they didn't get a chance to do anything when it rolled around 2 months prior. Matao took up a lot of their time nowadays, so it was nice when everyone could get together to enjoy each other's company. Jon and Joe closed the shop down for the day, the first in 2 years besides major holidays, and Cheria currently rested back against her love's chest. They'd been together almost 3 years now and neither could be happier alongside their family and friends.

The night Cheria found out about Monique needing a C-section was one she still often thought about. The baby boy had been in distress, his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. At first, the doctor thought he was dead because Matao came out with a blue complexion. He was a strong boy with stubborn Samoan blood pumping through his veins and somehow, Matao managed to come back to life. He was 4 pounds, 8 ounces and 16 ½ inches long. His lungs weren't fully developed yet, so he had to be placed in an incubator on a machine to help him breathe. Monique didn't leave the hospital once until Matao was released, which was 2 months later. Cheria traded places with Joe whenever he had to go work at the shop to provide for his family and stayed with Monique, keeping her spirits up about Matao's condition. When he left the hospital, Matao weighed 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was 21 inches long.

Now, he was a healthy 40 pound bouncing toddler that couldn't keep still for more than a few minutes at a time. He had ants in his pants, constantly on the go and wore both of his parents out on a daily basis. They didn't regret it for a second, thoroughly enjoying every single second with Matao since they nearly lost him during the C-section. The way his brown eyes twinkled whenever he did something he wasn't supposed to always made Cheria chuckle. It was hard to be mad at the kid and he definitely had his parents wrapped around each of his little fingers and toes. Uncle Jon and Uncle Sami were the same way, giving the child anything he whammed for. However, Aunt Cheria and Aunt Charlotte were stricter alongside his mother, trying to each him right from wrong. There were a few times the men would crack down on Matao, but for the most part it was the women who did the dirty work.

"Oh hey guys!" Cheria greeted her sister and Sami walking toward them, standing from the towel her and Jon occupied to hug Charlotte. "So glad you could make it!"

"Yeah well, this one couldn't figure out what to wear and I had to convince her people wouldn't look at her belly." Sami grinned, wrapping an arm around Charlotte's shoulders and grunted when she planted an elbow in his ribs. "Oww babe, that's not nice."

Charlotte snorted, rolling her eyes. "Does it look like I give a damn? Don't listen to him, he has no idea what he's talking about." She walked away with Cheria while Sami joined Joe to play some volleyball. They were trying to get Jon to play, but all he wanted to do was work on his tan. "Do I look fat in this bathing suit?"

"No, you look like you're 6 months pregnant though with my future nephew." Another boy was entering their extending family and Cheria couldn't be happier for her sister and Sami. "You're the most beautiful pregnant woman on the beach right now."

"Thanks." Charlotte teared up, her hormones flaring up and hugged Cheria before being lead over to where Jon lay, a pair of black shades over his eyes. "Don't wanna play with the boys, Jon?"

"Nope, I'm relaxing."

It'd been a very busy week at the shop and the last thing Jon wanted to do was tire himself out by playing volleyball in 100 degree weather. It was Indian summer, were these people crazy? September was one of the hottest months of the year for Florida, contrary to popular belief. Just because Jon enjoyed the heat and sun didn't mean he wanted to run around in it sweating bullets. He'd rather bake and get a nice tan alongside his girlfriend and watch their friends have the time of their lives.

"Lookin' good, Momma-to-be." Jon commented with a smile, reaching out to take Cheria's hand and pulled her back down to sit between his legs. "Though not as good as you, darlin'."

Cheria felt her face turn a deep crimson at his compliment, snuggling further against him and he wrapped his strong arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Thank you, baby." She murmured, turning her head to brush their lips together while Charlotte made herself comfortable on a towel beside them.

"Have you guys decided on the kid's name yet?" Jon asked, enjoying the soft curves of Cheria's body against him and loved the white stringed bikini she had on. White was indeed his favorite color on her.

Charlotte squirted sunblock in her hands and began rubbing it into her arms, not wanting to burn to a crisp in the Tampa sun. She was still getting used to living in Florida since Montana did not have harsh heat like this. Sami helped with cool baths whenever hot flashes became too much because of her pregnancy. Once she finished, Charlotte leaned back against the lawn chair already set up and slipped shades over her emerald eyes, her hair piled up on top of her head.

"We decided on Trevor Davis Johnston. People can call him TJ for short, if they want." Picking the name had been quite the ordeal, but in the end Sami and Charlotte compromised about the name. "Speak of the devil…" She shifted on the seat a little, trying to alleviate some of the pain from Trevor's kicks. "I regret making fun of Monique now when she was knocked up. These kicks hurt like a son of a bitch."

One minute Cheria had baby fever, desperately wanting to be pregnant, but then she heard these type of complaints and it changed her mind. Did Jon really want to go through 9 months of her lashing out at him for every little thing that bothered her because of her hormones? No, they were fine being childless for the time being and, besides, Cheria was proud of her body ever since she started workout regiments with Jon at the gym. She would gladly keep her toned body instead of getting big as a house and pushing something the size of a watermelon out of a lemon-sized hole.

"Trevor is such a great name, sis." Cheria praised, reaching over to rub her sister's belly and blinked at the strong thump against her palm. "What the hell?! Is that…him?!"

Charlotte nodded, laughing at Cheria's aghast face and grunted when another kick landed on her side. "Ugh! I can't wait for this damn kid to get out of me already! Being pregnant sucks. Don't do it unless you're absolutely 1000% ready."

"Ordeal yes, but think of how cute TJ will be once he's out with his cute little face and feet." Sami grinned, beaming proudly at his girlfriend's protruding stomach and knew the little guy was riled up. He could sense whenever Daddy wasn't around for some odd reason. "Need me to soothe him again, sweetheart?"

"If you want to keep your genitals, I'd do it and stop asking questions." Charlotte grumbled, another chuckle escaping her boyfriend as he kneeled down beside her and began caressing her belly. "That is not fair. What is it about your touch that settles him down?" She whined, not amused and shoved Sami's hand away, only to plant it right back on her stomach when Trevor started acting up again.

"I don't know, Char." Sami tried not to laugh and failed miserably, especially when Charlotte clocked him upside the head. All he did was growl at her, enjoying a little pain with pleasure. "You know that only turns me on when you get aggressive, sweetheart."

"Get a room you two." Jon was not in the mood to watch one of his friends suck face with his chick, especially when the chick was Cheria's sister. No, he'd definitely pass. "Or go somewhere else."

"Jon!" Cheria berated, smacking her boyfriend's bare thigh and shook her head, frowning. "Leave them alone. She's pregnant and the baby is being a tyrant right now. You know damn well, if the roles were reversed, you'd do the same thing for me. So hush."

Opening his mouth to argue, Jon realized what Cheria said was true and merely laid back on the towel in the sand, enjoying warmth seeping through the thin material. "Whatever you say, darlin'." He murmured, folding his arms beneath his head and looked up at the sky through his dark shades just as giggling came from his left.

"Get back here, you little troll!" Monique growled playfully, making Matao squeal out and run away from her in the sand, breezing past the two couples.

"Nana Mommy!"

Catching Matao because she was tired of running after him, Monique lifted him over her shoulder and began tickling his sides, carting the little boy over where Cheria, Jon, Sami and Charlotte sat. "Can you believe my son is running away from me? He has no idea how much pain I had to endure for his little ass." She set him down in the sand, letting Matao catch his breath and handed over a juice box from the cooler they brought. It had food, drinks and Matao's birthday cake as well. "Park it, boy. Momma needs a break from chasing you around."

Matao eyeballed his mother for a moment before sipping his juice box, listening for a change. Normally he didn't. "Cher-Cher! Jon-Jon!" He grinned, noticing them finally and dark eyes moved to where Charlotte and Sami were. The half-Samoan boy knew them too, but Cheria and Jon he saw a lot more of.

"Hey kiddo!" Cheria extended her arms and caught Matao's flying little body, engulfing him in a tight hug, ruffling his black hair. "Didn't notice we were here, eh?"

"Nana." Matao squealed, clapping his little hands and Cheria started mimicking him, acting just as excited, only making the boy laugh harder. "Mommy, Cher-Cher wunny!"

"Still hasn't gotten his F's down yet?" Charlotte questioned, feeling a lot calmer now that Trevor laid off on the kicking for the time being, thanks to his father's touch.

Monique shrugged, shaking her head. "He will when he's ready. At least he can count to 5 and knows most of his ABC's though. And he's only 2." It amazed her how fast 2 years flew by in the blink of an eye and all the changes Matao made from the moment they brought him home from the hospital. Sometimes she missed her baby.

"He's smart as a whip and will nail it in no time." Joe stated confidently, sinking down on the blanket beside his wife and softly kissed her mouth. "Sorry baby girl, I was in the middle of kicking ass in volleyball. The boy need to be tamed?"

"Nope, let his godmother deal with him for a bit." Monique yawned, laying down on the blanket to catch some vitamin D. Joe could watch Matao for a while since she'd let him have his fun with volleyball. "I really need a nap."

Joe chuckled, squeezing her bikini bottom covered backside and kissed her left shoulder since she was on her stomach. "I got Matao, you relax for the rest of the day."

"Mmm thank you, boo."

Cheria went from clapping with Matao to blowing raspberries on his stomach, keeping the little boy occupied for a little while. All Jon could do was watch at how natural Cheria handled Matao. She was born to be a mother and, truthfully, he was thinking maybe a rug rat or two wouldn't be so bad running around the duplex. They both agreed not to let their friends' pressure them into having a baby until they were ready, but Joe was already a father. Sami would be in 2 or 3 months. Was Jon missing out by not having a kid with his friends? His eyes moved back to Cheria tickling Matao, Jon wondering if she even wanted a baby or if this was all in his head. Only time would tell, he supposed, sitting up to where she could lean back against his chest, giving Cheria more leverage against Matao.

A couple hours later with the sun setting on the horizon over the Atlantic Ocean, Matao stood on a chair in front of a cake, a number 2 candle blazing on top of it. Joe was on one side filming while Monique stood on the other, her arm around his waist so the little boy didn't fall. Granted, it was sand below, but he was still small and could easily get hurt. Joe accused her of being overprotective sometimes and Monique told him to shove it because she would do whatever necessary to protect their son. After that argument, Joe backed off and let her be the mother she wanted to be, figuring he didn't have to treat Matao with kid gloves because his mother already had that taken care of. Watching Matao blow the candle out made Cheria and Jon look at each other simultaneously, emerald melting into pale blue. It was almost as if they shared one brain sometimes and he took her hand, guiding her away from the table to take a walk down the sand, letting the ocean water wash over their bare feet.

"You know, we've overcome a lot in the short amount time we've been together, Cher." Jon said thoughtfully, lacing their fingers together and looked out into the small waves slowly rolling their way toward the shore. "We went from being together illegally, to thinking we were related, to you finding your true family and identity, to my kidnapping and what that evil bitch did to me, to our friends having kids and getting married." Charlotte and Sami were on the verge of an engagement; it was only a matter of time. "Makes me wonder if we're ready for another challenge, another contrivance."

Cheria stopped walking, turning her head to look up at Jon quizzically. "Contrivance?"

He chuckled, reaching out to caress her face with the back of his hand lovingly. "It means formulating a plan – gambling – scheming, whatever you wanna call it." Jon took both of her hands in his, the wind picking up a little and the scent of gardenias infiltrated his senses.

"What kind of contrivance do you have in mind, Jon baby?" Cheria asked softly, ready for anything as long as they did it together, a smile spreading across her lips.

"That depends…" Jon pulled something out of the pocket of his trunks and handed it over, placing it in her hand. It was a small dark blue velvet box. "There's two ways we can go about doing this. But I promise you, both will happen eventually."

Swallowing hard, Cheria took a deep shaky breath and popped the lid open, tears filling her emerald eyes at the sight of a beautiful marquise cut diamond set on a silver band. "Jon…" Her voice came out in nothing more than a tremble, blinking as the waterfall of tears streamed down her face. "Oh my god…"

"Should I take that as a yes then?" Jon cracked a hesitant smile, cupping her face to wipe the tears from her cheeks and took the ring out of the box, sliding it on her left ring finger. "Marry me, Cher. And then we can work on having a rug rat of our own."

Compared to Martha's contrivance for them, this sounded much better and Cheria could only nod, bringing his mouth down on hers in a passionate kiss. Her new contrivance was this man in front of her and had been from the moment she walked into Good's Automobile Repairs and locked eyes on Jon. He became her world and reason to live, doing whatever necessary, including killing, in order to protect him. That would be taken to the grave between them since Charlotte and Monique had no idea she'd been the one to pull the trigger to kill Martha. For 2 years, they had been blissfully happy with hardly any problems and now were about to embark on a new journey of marriage and starting a family.

They couldn't have asked for a better life and hoped their love lasted forever.

The End.

****And that will do it my readers and lurkers! Hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it! So blessed to have those of you that reviewed and told me how much you enjoyed it. Love my lurkers too! I will be posting a new Jon story sometime today. So keep a lookout! Thank you for all the support and love! You all ROCK!****


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